SYRACUSE, NY (September 29, 2009) – Tony Smythe has been named Corporate Director of Sales and Development for Bright House Networks Media Sales Division.
Smythe will be responsible for developing and executing all enterprise-wide advertising initiatives related to Bright House Networks’ media inventory including their overall sports sales strategies along with Bright House Sports Network. He will develop and execute all sales strategies related to network promotional opportunities and revenue-driving programs. Smythe will oversee and manage all sales training and development programs for the Advertising Sales Division. Smythe will report to Todd A. Stewart, Corporate Vice President of Advertising Sales for Bright House Networks.
“Tony brings many years of successful selling experience and sports sales marketing while at ESPN / Disney,” said Stewart. “We are glad to have him as part of the Bright House Networks team as he will create revenue opportunities, unique partnerships with our clients and programming networks, and sales development throughout all of our markets. His background and energy are perfect to work with Bright House Sports Network across our Florida markets.”
Smythe joins Bright House Networks as an accomplished and seasoned sales executive who has been in the cable industry for over thirteen years. For nearly ten years at ESPN, Smythe served as Senior Director of Affiliate Advertising Sales for Disney and ESPN Media Networks (DEMN) in Bristol, CT where he managed the corporate ad sales relationships with a diverse group of MSOs, including Comcast Spotlight, Charter Media, and DirecTV. He also worked on promotion development and conducted trainings on ESPN’s portfolio of networks. During Smythe’s tenure, the DEMN group won the Cable Advertising Bureau’s Programmer of the year award three years in a row.
Prior to joining DEMN, Smythe was both an account executive and a local sales manager for AT&T Media Services (now Comcast Spotlight) in Chicago where he constantly exceeded advertising sales goals and played a key role in consolidating multiple MSOs into one operating unit.
Smythe is a graduate of Illinois State University with a BA in Economics and a minor in Broadcast Journalism. Smythe, his wife and their four children will relocate from Avon, CT to Florida.
About Bright House Networks
Bright House Networks is the 7th largest multiple cable system operator (MSO) in the US with 2.4 million customers in several large cities including Tampa Bay and Orlando, Florida; Bakersfield, California; Indianapolis, Indiana; Detroit, Michigan; and Birmingham, Alabama; along with several other smaller regions in Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. The high-growth Florida markets are adjacent and form one of the country’s largest cable clusters. Bright House Networks’ corporate offices are located in Syracuse, New York and Orlando, Florida.
Bright House Networks is committed to putting customers in control and making their lives easier with products including Digital Cable, High Speed Internet, and Home Phone. The company also provides an ever-expanding catalog of Video-on-Demand (VOD) programming, the immensely popular Digital Video Recorders (DVR), and high-definition (HD) programming.
Exceptional customer care is the cornerstone of Bright House Networks’ business, and a top priority across all operating units. Bright House Networks was ranked the “Highest in Residential Telephone Customer Satisfaction in the South Region” by J.D. Power and Associates in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. J.D. Power and Associates also ranked Bright House Networks the “Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among High-Speed Internet Service Providers in the South Region” in 2008 and 2009.
In addition to their residential services, Bright House Networks Business Solutions (
www.brighthouse.com) provides products and services for small, medium, and enterprise businesses including Business Phone, Internet, Managed Security Services, Web Services, and Wireless Solutions.
Bright House Networks also owns and operates two 24-hour local news operations; Central Florida News 13 (
www.cfnews13.com) serving the Orlando area, and Bay News 9 (
www.baynews9.com) serving the Tampa Bay area. Recently, Bright House Sports Network (
www.bhsn.com) launched in Florida, providing local sports coverage across Tampa Bay and Orlando. Bright House Networks provides in-depth coverage of local sports including high school, college, and professional teams.
Public affairs, social responsibility, and community involvement continue to be major initiatives for Bright House Networks as an ongoing commitment to the families and communities Bright House Networks serves. This includes the
Star Teachers Award program, the
Bright Kids Network,
Operation Bright Eyes, and many more long-term commitments to education and other important issues in Bright House Networks communities.
For more information about Bright House Networks or our products and services, please visit (
www.brighthouse.com/business).
