Ted Sarandos, chief content officer of Netflix, and Gerhard Zeiler, CEO of RTL Group, will speak at the 2012 NAB Show, April 14-19 in Las Vegas.
Sarandos will participate in a Content Theater question-and-answer session on Tuesday, April 17 from 3-4 p.m. Zeiler will participate in a Content Theater Q&A session on Monday, April 16 from 3-4 p.m. The Content Theater will be located on the exhibit floor. It will feature a series of presentations from industry leaders who are transforming content creation and delivery.
In addition to their speaking engagements, NAB Show will recognize both Sarandos and Zeiler with the Content Owner Revolutionizing Entertainment (CORE) Award. Sarandos will accept the CORE Award for Innovator of the Year on behalf of Netflix for that company's groundbreaking streaming business model.
Zeiler is receiving the CORE Award for Executive of the Year in acknowledgment of his consistent ability to build profitability and value in the television and content industry, as well for his track record when it comes to recognizing and acquiring television hits, such as "American Idol," "America's Got Talent" and "X Factor," as well as RTL Group's acquisition of Original Productions and Radical Media.
Sarandos has led content acquisition for Netflix as the Chief Content Officer since 2000. With more than 20 years of experience in home entertainment, Sarandos is recognized in the industry as an innovator in film acquisition and distribution. Before Netflix, Sarandos was an executive at video distributor ETD and Video City/West Coast Video. He also serves on the Film Advisory Board for Tribeca and Los Angeles Film Festival, the retail advisory board for the Digital Entertainment Group and is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute.
Zeiler, who said earlier this month that he will join Turner Broadcasting System as president of Turner Broadcasting System International, currently is CEO of RTL Group. Zeiler serves as a member of the supervisory boards of Groupe M6 in France and RTL Television in Germany. RTL Group has interests in 47 TV channels, 29 radio stations and content production worldwide.
Zeiler began his career working for the Austrian Ministry for Education and the Arts and became spokesman for two Austrian chancellors before becoming CEO at both Tele 5 and later RTL ll. In 1994, he was elected CEO of ORF, in 1998 was appointed CEO of RTL Television, and in March 2003 CEO of RTL Group. In addition, Zeiler has been a member of the Bertelsmann Executive Board since October 2005.
