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s one of DirecTV’s top programming executives, Reagan Feeney seems to be in constant demand. She could barely take a step into a suite at Citi Field on a particular night in July without someone stopping her to schmooze. This time, it was during MLB’s all-star week, but the scene is the same at various sporting events across the country.
“I know people think that all I do is go to Fenway Park and Red Sox games,” Feeney joked. “Despite popular belief, I don’t go around the country just going to professional sporting events.”
Feeney’s popularity comes from the fact that sports networks that want carriage on DirecTV have to go through her. She has been a part of these types of negotiations since 1997, when she was first hired by the satellite service as a junior assistant. But Feeney says the negotiations have become tougher, especially as networks pay more for rights and are, in turn, looking to get more from distributors.
“We used to have this product for X. Now, it’s 10X,” Feeney said. “Or, we used to have all the product on one channel. Now, some of it is moving to a whole new service.”
In addition to doing carriage deals, Feeney also says the digital world is becoming a challenge. “How do you protect yourself against what you don’t know,” she said. “To me, that’s the scariest and most difficult part of my job beyond the costs.”
— John Ourand
