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Prior to this announcement, Mr. Pyne had served as President, Disney & ESPN Networks Affiliate Sales and Marketing, a role he was promoted to in October 2005. In this capacity, he directed all affiliate distribution, affiliate relations, affiliate marketing and local ad sales for the U.S. cable and satellite networks of The Walt Disney Company: ABC News Now, ABC Family, Disney Channel, SOAPnet, Toon Disney, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, ESPN HD and ESPNU. He also oversaw U.S. distribution of related HDTV, broadband, video-on-demand, subscription video-on-demand, interactive television, pay-per-view, Spanish-language, and sports syndication products. He previously served as Executive Vice President, Disney and ESPN Affiliate Sales and Marketing, from June 2004 through September 2005 and worked closely with Sean Bratches on the successful integration of the ESPN and ABC Cable Networks Group Sales Teams.
Previous to the merging of the ESPN and Disney-ABC Cable Networks Groups affiliate sales and marketing teams, Mr. Pyne served from 2000-2004 as Senior Vice President, Affiliate Sales and Marketing for Disney-ABC Cable Networks Group, overseeing all cable and satellite distribution, local ad sales and affiliate marketing for the four basic cable networks within the Group: ABC Family, Disney Channel, SOAPnet and Toon Disney. Under his guidance, Disney Channel transitioned from a pay cable service to an expanded basic service growing from 6.5 million subscribers in 1992 when he joined the Company to the more than 92 million today.
In addition, Mr. Pyne directed negotiations for retransmission consent agreements for ABC's owned stations and has been a key participant in the development and launch of new businesses and services for The Walt Disney Company including the successful subscription video service "Disney Channel on Demand" and the high-speed access program "A Better Connection." His team also launched successful affiliate marketing and public affairs initiatives, among them "Learning Together," a critically acclaimed outreach program that has received numerous Beacon Award from Cable Television's Public Affairs Association (CTPAA.)
Mr. Pyne has a BA from Princeton University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He was also Orchestra Manager of the New Jersey Symphony from 1985-90, just prior to attending Business School and has experience with other nonprofit associations prior to that. Maintaining a strong interest in music, Mr. Pyne continues to play the classical guitar. He currently resides in New York City with his wife and two sons. | 