Partnering with independent cable operators to level the playing field

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Programming contracts represent the single largest expense to video providers.

Are you risking overpayment by paying from the invoices you receive?

Are programmers accurately keeping track of new launches or changes in service levels?

Do you know when contracts are expiring?

Do you have an at-a-glance snapshot of your channel lineups and the associated costs?

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Organization is THE KEY to controlling programming costs.

Keep the details of your channel lineups and programming costs at your fingertips.

Have a central repository for all channel lineup changes.

Facilitate cross departmental communication with a document that all organization layers can reference.

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Leverage Cable Consulting offers independent cable operators

THE KEY.

Once you experience organization and control, you will wonder how you ever lived without it.

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What is The Key?

The Key is a database that brings together and centralizes the following information in one handy location:

• Rates for each network• Contract expiration dates• Notations of any auto-renewal clauses• Contracted rates for future years• DMA designation• Network family groupings• Service levels• Channel lineups and much more. 

Keep the information most important to your single largest expense organized and at your fingertips! 

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C-Level, Board of Directors, Upper Management:•Executive summaries of programming costs and increases available by lineup, by tierAccounting:•Monthly programming accruals•Accurate payment detail•Programming based on vouchers you generate rather than inaccurate invoices•Annual financial audit•Negotiating audits by programmers•Budgeting programming expenses•Plan future rate increasesLegal/Programming:•Record of contract expirations•Notification of auto-renewal contracts •Plan for timing of contract negotiationsMarketing:•Plan and project rate increases •Know actual programming costs before planning promotional pricing•Central repository for accurate channel lineups•Quantify the full extent of your relationship with programming partnersHeadend Engineers:•Easily accessible record of what networks are carried in each headend for use with future channel additions, satellite or equipment changes•At-a-glance record of bandwidth capacity by lineupBilling:•Confirm accuracy of packaging and billing codes and reference monthly for updates

THE KEY is a cross departmental tool for your company.

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Sample of The KeyProgramming Database – part 1

State City Code Programmer Name Channel Free Until

Basic Expanded Digital Homes

Digital Gateway

High Definition

VOD Network Subscribers

Rate Type

Tier Name

Primary Rate

Primary Total

TX LINEUP 1 TBN209 TBN 2 100.00 108.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 B Basic 0.40000 40.00

TX LINEUP 1 retrans KFOX - Fox-Anytown 4 100.00 108.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.00 100.00 B Basic 0.40000 40.00 TX LINEUP 1 retrans KPBS - PBS-Anytown 5 100.00 108.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.00 100.00 B Basic 0.40000 40.00 TX LINEUP 1 retrans KMYN - MyNetwork-Anytown 6 100.00 108.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.00 100.00 B Basic 0.40000 40.00 TX LINEUP 1 retrans KABC - ABC-Anytown 8 100.00 108.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.00 100.00 B Basic 0.40000 40.00 TX LINEUP 1 retrans KTEL - Telemundo-Anytown 9 100.00 108.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 6.00 100.00 B Basic 0.40000 40.00 TX LINEUP 1 retrans Local Access 10 100.00 108.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 7.00 100.00 B Basic 0.40000 40.00 TX LINEUP 1 retrans KNBC - NBC-Anytown 11 100.00 108.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 8.00 100.00 B Basic 0.40000 40.00 TX LINEUP 1 retrans KACW - CW-Anytown 12 100.00 108.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 9.00 100.00 B Basic 0.40000 40.00 TX LINEUP 1 retrans KCBS - CBS-Anytown 13 100.00 108.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 10.00 100.00 B Basic 0.40000 40.00 TX LINEUP 1 direct TNT 14 100.00 108.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 11.00 100.00 E Expanded 0.40000 40.00

TX LINEUP 1 AMC004 American Movie Classics 15 100.00 108.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 12.00 100.00 E Expanded 0.40000 40.00

TX LINEUP 1 direct Fox Sports Southwest 16 100.00 108.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 13.00 100.00 B Basic 0.40000 40.00 TX LINEUP 1 ESP155 ESPN LTAP 17 100.00 108.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 14.00 100.00 E Expanded 0.40000 40.00

Your lineups, service levels and what they cost – at a glance!

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Sample of The KeyProgramming Database – part 2

Commercial and other

subscribers

Additional Rate-

Commercial

Additional Total

Total Due

payee GLContract

expiration dateNetwork Family Rate 2013 Rate 2014

- 40.00 NCTC 626120 12/31/2014 TBN - 40.00 Ramar 626120 12/31/2014 Broadcaster - 40.00 free 626120 12/31/2014 Broadcaster - 40.00 ramar 626120 12/31/2014 Broadcaster - 40.00 Nextar Broadcasting626120 12/31/2014 Broadcaster - 40.00 Ramar 626120 12/31/2014 Broadcaster - 40.00 Ramar 626120 12/31/2014 Local - 40.00 Raycom Media Inc626120 12/31/2014 Broadcaster - 40.00 Ramar 626120 12/31/2014 Broadcaster - 40.00 Nextar Broadcasting626120 12/31/2014 Broadcaster - 40.00

Turner to NCTC626120 12/31/2014 Turner0.00 0.00 - 40.00

NCTC 626120 12/31/2014 AMC0.00 37.50 - 40.00 Fox Sports Southwest626120 12/31/2014 Fox0.00 0.00 - 40.00

NCTC 626120 12/31/2014 ESPN/Disney

Quick access to rates for future years making budgeting and rate increase planning a snap!

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The Key

Leverage Cable Consulting will provide initial set-up and organization of The Key after a thorough review of your contracts and channel lineups.

Two Options:1. Leverage will deliver The Key to you for your ongoing use and you

maintain it going forward.

2. For a small monthly fee, Leverage will update The Key each month with new rates, channel lineup changes, current monthly subscribers by service level and will also coordinate your monthly programming payments, subscriber reporting and programming accruals.

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Subscriber updates are easy with The Key Subscriber Data Sheet

Service levels

Channel Lineup Basic Expanded BasicDigital homes

Digital gateway Digital 1 Digital 2 HD Homes HD Tier Cinemax HBO

LINEUP 1 100.00 108.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 10.00LINEUP 2 200.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.00LINEUP 3 300.00 0.00 50.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 9.00 10.00LINEUP 4 400.00 300.00 200.00 0.00 6.00 90.00LINEUP 5 500.00 91.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 6.00LINEUP 6 2,500.00 2,200.00 2,500.00 0.00 0.00 2,200.00 1,800.00 0.00 266.00 589.00

Your part in maintaining The Key is to simply enter subscriber counts for each channel lineup by service level each month on the Subscriber Data Sheet. Leverage takes care of all the other updates. The portion of The Key containing the channel lineup detail is linked to this Subscriber Datasheet and each network will automatically update with the correct number of subscribers.

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The Leverage programming payment process using The Key

Our unique automation process will update the NCTC as well as direct payment programming vendors with current subscriber counts and lineup information. 

Leverage will provide you with a monthly programming accrual.

You will also receive monthly payment vouchers for processing payments.  Simply hand these to your accounting group to cut the check and mail - Leverage will take care of the rest.   

Direct payment programming vendors will receive an automated email report that will include payment remittance advice.  Let us empower your decision-making with timely and accurate financial information. 

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Sample payment voucher

Programming

Vendor Name Invoice # J ul-12

Vendor # Invoice Date 7/ 31/ 2012

Address Invoice Amount 14,500.00

Payee Name

Voucher #

ACCOUNT # AMOUNT EXPLANATION

626100 Accrued Basic Programming 1,500.00

626110 Accrued Basic Programming 5,000.00

626120 Accrued Basic Programming 8,000.00

TOTAL AMOUNT 14,500.00 0.00

A/ P ENTERED DATE STAMP

COMMENTS: Payment back-up to be delivered via email

Prepared by Linda Date 9/ 24/ 2012 10:11

Field approval Date

Corp approval Date

Your Company Name

ACCOUNT PAYABLE VOUCHER FORM

SUB# ACCT DESCRIPTION

Provide the vouchers to your accounting department and they will use this to pay direct programming payments based on your subscribers and lineups rather than depending on programmer invoices that are notoriously incorrect.

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Sample electronic payment back-up provided via email to programmers

• Reduce programmer confusion about how to apply your payments. Leverage will send Excel-based electronic payment back-up each month to programmers. You may also customize the email message going out to programmers each month.

• Want to notify them about a headend consolidation or other company news? Include it easily in your monthly email!

• Questions about payments are directed to Leverage so your team can focus on other responsibilities and be more productive.

Company NameJune-2012-PaymentsQuestions?Contact: Linda Kondrick(314) 313-5002lindakondrick@leveragecableconsulting.com

Invoice Number System Id Specia l Id State Ci ty Code

Programmer Name Channel Free Until Bas ic Expanded

Digi ta l Homes

Digi ta l Gateway

High Defi nition VOD Subscribers Rate Type Tier Name

Primary Rate

Primary Tota l

1204133500

25291 TX LINEUP 1 directBBC America

103.00 100.00 0.00 50.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 50.00 Digital 1 0.40000 20.00

1204133500

27179 2273 TX LINEUP 2 direct BBC America 103.00 2,000.00 1,900.00 1,800.00 80.00 0.00 0.00 136.00 D Digital View Plus

0.40000 54.40

1204133500

21906 TX LINEUP6 direct BBC America 216.00 3,000.00 2,900.00 1,800.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1,650.00 D Digital 2 0.40000 660.00

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The Key minimizes payment errors and audit risks.

The Key makes budgeting faster and more accurate.

The Key creates a common platform that is useful to accounting, operations, marketing and senior level executives.

The Key keeps the details on your single largest cost for video service at your fingertips.

The Key is a very affordable solution and usually pays for itself by identifying overpayments.

If you don’t have The Key….you don’t know what you’re missing. Get The Key today!

The Key makes your life easier. Work smarter, not harder.

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Monthly payment service available for as low as $500 / month.

Contact us today for a customized estimate.

(314) 200-9225

thekey@leverageccableconsulting.com

Visit us on the web at www.leveragecableconsulting.com

Partnering with independent cable operators to level the playing field

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