Country's Top MSOs Join to Launch "Canoe Ventures"; David Verklin Named CEO

Business Wire, June 10, 2008

Media Veteran Will Lead Cross-MSO Initiative to Make Cable's Advanced Advertising Easier to Buy, Use and Measure

NEW YORK -- The country's leading multi-system cable operators (MSOs) today announced the launch of a joint venture, Canoe Ventures, created to make their growing suite of advanced advertising solutions easier to buy, use and measure. Canoe Ventures will be led by advertising industry veteran David Verklin, who is known for being at the forefront of revolutionary change. He joins Canoe Ventures effective August 4 and will drive the creation of shared processes and standards for more robust audience targeting, interactivity and measurement in multi-platform advertising across cable operators' systems throughout the country.

Based in New York City, Canoe Ventures is owned by the country's largest MSOs and will combine the operators' research, knowledge and resources to deliver more value to advertisers, including a focus on addressability, interactivity, and data. The cable coalition already has been working to leverage the industry's unique position to enhance the way advertisers, programmers, and ultimately, viewers, utilize new cable technologies.

"We look forward to working with someone of David's experience, intelligence, and stature. His appointment as CEO of Canoe Ventures demonstrates our commitment to working more closely with the advertising community and to delivering products and services needed for advertisers and programmers to compete in today's media landscape," said Steve Burke, Chief Operating Officer, Comcast Corporation, and President, Comcast Cable Communications. "David's insight will help make cable a more valuable advertising medium."

"What we have developed as the basis for this joint venture is a groundbreaking collaboration that will unlock the potential of cable's competitive advantages and take advertising to a new level," said Landel Hobbs, Chief Operating Office of Time Warner Cable. "We are excited to have David, who has always been viewed as a thought leader, sign on as CEO of Canoe Ventures to lead this change."

Verklin was formerly CEO of Aegis Media Americas, where he managed all operations in the US, Latin America and Canada and served on the Board of Directors for Aegis Group. He currently sits on the Board of the American Advertising Federation, the Ad Council, the Audit Bureau of Circulations and the NY Multiple Sclerosis Society. He began his career at Young & Rubicam in New York and helped found advertising agency Hal Riney & Partners in San Francisco. His book, Watch This, Listen Up, Click Here, was published in 2007.

"Cable is in a unique position to take advertising to another level - for marketers, programmers and consumers," said David Verklin. "As technology has evolved and consumers have been given greater control over their viewing experience, we are all looking for innovative solutions and greater accountability. Canoe Ventures and its goals were informed by input from advertisers, networks and vendors to respond to these needs, and I am excited to lead this effort and continue this dialogue with our key stakeholders."

About Canoe Ventures, LLC

Canoe Ventures, LLC, is a company founded by the nation's leading cable operators including Bright House Networks, Cablevision Systems Corporation, Charter Communications, Inc., Comcast Corporation, Cox Communications Inc., and Time Warner Cable. Based in New York City, the company is focused on making cable's advanced advertising solutions easier to buy, use and measure.