Jeff Gaspin, the President of Universal Television Group, runs NBC Universal's most profitable property: USA network. In an exclusive interview with Media Money, Gaspin talked about how his business is holding up through the recession and stealing viewers from the broadcast networks.
In a way, Universal's cable channels are counter-programming NBC's lineup. Gaspin says while NBC cuts back on its scripted primetime shows by putting Jay Leno in the 10 pm slot five days a week.
So Gaspin is putting high quality scripted programming in that time frame, looking to capture viewers who aren't Leno fans. Competition or complementary, either way NBC Universal captures the viewers and the ad dollars.
Gaspin also weighed in on the question of whether it makes sense to offer subscription cable content online. Gaspin's concerned about making sure it's monetized, but Universal TV group is staying ahead of the game. It's SyFy network is participating in one of Time Warner Cable's first tests of online password-protected content distribution.
Check out my entire exclusive interview with Gaspin.
