TV Everywhere, media consolidation will be hot topics at Mogulfest

Every year something sparks heated debate when the nation's leading media lights gather at Mogulfest, the super-secret Sun Valley, Idaho conference and retreat sponsored by investment firm Allen & Co.

This year, early watchers expect the temperatures to rise as the execs discuss and perhaps set the paving stones for more media consolidation (a la Comcast-NBC Universal) and free-versus-paid television (a la TV Everywhere).

"Last year the media and advertising world was mired in a recession that made it hard for media moguls to think about expanding their empires," the New York Post reported. "This year there are other forces afoot--among them private equity and foreign players--that may have media moguls rethinking their current configurations."

On a less financial, to a degree, front, Variety sees the possibility of pay versus free TV, including the walled-garden TV Everywhere approach the cable industry is taking. With guests like paywall advocate News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch and free-thinker Google CEO Eric Schmidt on hand, there's likely to be a lively debate around this subject matter.

"The confab has taken on its own mythology," the Variety story concludes. "What remains unclear is whether it's a material event for the industry or nothing more than a sleep-away camp for media executives."

Who knew media executives ever slept--away or at home?

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