The Cable Show: Cable operators and programmers say it is a great time for the industry

(Maribel Ramos-Weiner, Chicago). During the opening day of The Cable Show at the McCormick Place in Chicago, a panel that included the three largest content companies and the three largest cable operators in the U.S., discussed the current state of the industry and where it’s heading. On the content side, the panel was composed of Jeff Bewkes of Time Warner Inc., Chase Carey of News Corporation, and Philippe Dauman of Viacom, Inc. On the cable side, it included Patrick Esser of Cox Communications, Inc., Glenn Britt of Time Warner Cable, and Neil Smit of Comcast Cable Communications.Bewkes pointed out cable’s situation is better than ever. “We should be excited to be where we are,” he said, adding that content should be distributed through all platforms. Dauman stated it is important to have audience metrics for mobile devices.This year’s event co-chairs David Zaslav of Discovery Communications and Jerry Kent of Suddenlik, welcomed a large audience that filled the North Hall, and pointed out that this year there were over 350 exhibitors and about 50 educational sessions in the program. The mayor of the city of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, highlighted the importance of the industry, which creates 60-thousand jobs in the city and generates about US$60 billion in investments.Michael Powell, President and CEO of NCTA, also pointed out the great moment the cable industry is experiencing and encouraged audience members not to bask on their success but instead to forge a new chapter. “The future is uncertain and we need to keep experimenting. We are better together and staying still is not an option,” he added.