Moonves: Reverse Comp to Grow in 2011 And Beyond

CBS Corp. President/CEO Leslie Moonves said the network has big plans to grow its retransmission consent revenue in the coming years, with the CBS affiliates kicking in a bigger chunk of revenue they've negotiated with pay-TV carriers.

Speaking at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia conference in New York, Moonves said it's not one size fits all when negotiating with the local broadcasters. Moonves characterized CBS' affiliate relationship as "great." While he said CBS had not yet negotiated deals on behalf of its affiliates, he said he expects partner stations to work out fair payment for their signal-and share the spoils. He believes CBS' thriving primetime, especially in the vital 10 p.m. hour that serves up viewers for local news, justifies the network's demands. "It's very important to us that our affiliate body stays strong, and it's important to us that they make very good deals," he said. Moonves was adamant that CBS' retrans revenue has vast growth potential. While CBS has thus far kept its content, which Moonves referred to as "the family jewels," off the Hulu.com platform, the CBS chief suggested he was looking "very carefully" at the Hulu Plus subscription model, announced by Hulu CEO Jason Kilar in June.