Media

Subscriptions are down, but there’s upside in video distribution: Liberty Media CEO

Maffei: Trump presidency will be pro-business
VIDEO5:0005:00
Maffei: Trump presidency will be pro-business

Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei said that although subscriptions to traditional forms of video such as satellite are dropping, his company will not suffer, thanks to its innovative distribution methods.

"Our improved video product with an all-digital experience is compelling, and we will gain, I think, a lot of video share," Maffei told CNBC.

Maffei said that upside will come from upgrading video products that Liberty distributes, like that of Time Warner, to an "all-digital experience."

Liberty Media holds a stake in Time Warner's parent, Charter Communications, which Maffei said has taken a hit to its DirecTV subscription rates.

Time Warner made headlines in October for considering a merger with telecommunications conglomerate AT&T, and despite President-elect Donald Trump's statement that he would block the deal, Maffei said it would probably go through, perhaps with a few conditions.

"The limited amount that I've seen about what President [-elect] Trump has tweeted or said on policies around net neutrality and the like have been fairly hands-off relative to the current administration," Maffei said.

Liberty Media chairman John Malone told CNBC on Thursday that he supported the deal, saying it could provide AT&T with "substantial diversification" of its core wireless business.