EyeQ Tech review EyeQ Tech EyeQ Tech tuyển dụng review công ty eyeq tech eyeq tech giờ ra sao EyeQ Tech review EyeQ Tech EyeQ Tech tuyển dụng crab meat crab meat crab meat importing crabs live crabs export mud crabs vietnamese crab exporter vietnamese crabs vietnamese seafood vietnamese seafood export vietnams crab vietnams crab vietnams export vietnams export

Breaking News

Russia launched intercontinental ballistic missile during attack on Ukraine, Kyiv says
Business

Gore comes back

By
Claire Atkinson
Published June 26, 2010, 4:00 a.m. ET

After years of playing down his ownership of Current TV, Al Gore is now putting his star power to work when the struggling cable network needs it most.

Gore is making the cable industry rounds and schmoozing with advertisers ahead of crucial negotiations with cable operators over carriage fees.

The five-year-old channel, which slashed a quarter of its staff and canceled three shows last year, is struggling to reinvent itself after failing to win viewers and advertisers with a hodgepodge of documentaries and amateur-produced content.

Just weeks ago, Gore spoke at an intimate conference, where he pitched advertisers and media buyers on yet another iteration of the cable network. Current would be about “crowdsourced TV” and “sustainable advertising,” he promised.

Current executives say to expect some major changes in the coming months as it shifts away from short clips to more traditional programming and long-form series, although they say the network will still be open to content by unknowns.

Current’s relatively new CEO, former MTV COO Mark Rosenthal, has compared Current’s problems to the growing pains that the music network faced when it shifted from music videos to reality and other programming. Rosenthal has enlisted the help of several former MTV and Viacom colleagues, including ad sales adviser Hank Close.

Meanwhile, Gore flew to South Africa in April to kick off a local version of the channel, and in May he met with systems operators at the Cable Show in Los Angeles.

The globe-trotting comes as Current is facing some crucial carriage renewal negotiations with cable operators. Current’s contract with Time Warner Cable expires at the end of this year.

Current is paid 12 cents a subscriber per month, but cable operators have been making noise about cutting fees to channels that underperform, while paying new fees to broadcast networks that are demanding a cut of subscriber revenue.

Current has never been Nielsen-rated, but the channel is planning to start reporting ratings in the fourth quarter, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Gore also reportedly discussed shopping the channel to Google in 2007, and had sale talks in 2009 that went nowhere, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Gore is also a senior adviser to Google.

The channel filed for a $100 million IPO in January 2008, but later pulled the plug on that plan.

Current is in 62.8 million homes, according to data from SNL Kagan, and grew subscription revenue from $30.4 million to $83.5 million between 2006 and 2010.

The ad revenue picture has been tougher going, with the channel pulling in just $16.8 million in 2009 even while the service has been paying top dollar for consultants, according to one industry source.