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April 18-19, 2017
Dana Point, California

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David Levy

President, Turner

David Levy is president of Turner, overseeing the media and distribution company's leading portfolio of domestic entertainment, sports, kids and young adult networks and businesses, including TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Boomerang, truTV, Turner Classic Movies (TCM), Bleacher Report, FilmStruck and ELEAGUE, Turner’s entry into the red hot esports category.   Additionally, Mr. Levy leads advertising sales strategy and operations, affiliate sales, programming acquisitions, marketing promotion, interactive television and technology business development for the domestic Turner businesses, as well as CNN and HLN's ad sales and affiliate sales.  He also has oversight of Turner Sports' programming acquisitions, production, marketing, league relations and sports ad sales. He is based in New York.

Mr. Levy assumed executive leadership of Turner's domestic portfolio in August 2013. During this time, the Turner networks have maintained top competitive rankings, including #1 spots in key metrics for TNT, TBS, Adult Swim and Cartoon Network, as well as a leading digital portfolio of brands, including Bleacher Report, one of the Top 5 most popular and fastest-growing digital properties in the U.S.

Mr. Levy has led a significant expansion in digital media for Turner. In 2015, the company purchased a majority stake in streaming video pioneer iStreamPlanet, a move that will expand Turner's capabilities to offer live events and cultivate future business opportunities on digital platforms. In May 2016, Turner also launched ELEAGUE, a new professional esports league created in partnership with WME | IMG.  This fall, Tuner launched FilmStruck. the company’s first U.S. domestic subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service.

Also under Mr. Levy's guidance, Turner has become an industry leader in creating affiliate value by leveraging the company's portfolio of networks. Mr. Levy and Turner Content Distribution, the company's affiliate sales division, continue to drive the company's industry leading efforts for TV Everywhere (TVE), now available in more than 86 million households.

Since assuming executive leadership for Turner Sports in 2003, Mr. Levy has been instrumental in deepening and expanding Turner's media rights and defining the division by its association with premium sports content, brands and events, including the NBA, the NCAA for the Division I Men's Basketball Championship, Major League Baseball and the PGA. He has negotiated a number of wide-ranging agreements, each representing a significant change that extended well beyond traditional television rights.

In 2010, Mr. Levy was instrumental in orchestrating a landmark deal, partnering with CBS for the television, internet, wireless, marketing and corporate sponsorship rights to the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship. As part of the agreement, TBS exclusively televised the NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four in 2014 and the National Championship in 2016, marking the first times in the event's history those key games were televised by a cable network. Following the 2016 tournament, Turner and CBS announced that they had extended their agreement with the NCAA through 2032. The new deal includes expanded rights to create content, engage with fans and build new related businesses through both current and future technology and platforms.

Mr. Levy led Turner's efforts in expanding its media rights partnership with the NBA in October 2014. The deal continues TNT's successful and popular Thursday night NBA franchise and cements the network's foundation for televising more NBA playoff games than any other network. It also provides TNT with an additional 12 showcase games, extends the network's exclusive coverage of the league's signature All-Star Weekend events and provides enhanced rights for Bleacher Report and activation opportunities.

In 2012, Turner reached a new, long-term, multimedia rights agreement with Major League Baseball, the most expansive in the company's history with the league. Levy also led Turner's efforts in the acquisition of Bleacher Report, a leading online multi-sport destination.

Prior to being named to his current position, Mr. Levy served as president of sales, distribution and sports for TBS, Inc. Under his leadership, the Turner ad sales division has consistently been recognized as the leading television and digital sales organization. Clients continually acknowledge the division for its creativity in developing innovative and integrated sponsorship ideas across Turner's vast portfolio of television, digital and mobile platforms that further drive value and exposure for advertising partners. 

Mr. Levy, who has received numerous awards for his professional achievements during his career at Turner, was elected to the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame in 2012. 

Turner, a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news; entertainment; kids and young adult; and sports media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.