Lately, Sumner Redstone's mood had been sour.
Dunn's dazzling track record over the past few years had put Redstone on high alert—watching, wary, and focused. But even with all that vigilance, Dunn still managed to pull a fast one right under his nose!
First, it was the Fantastic Four cartoon and American Idol collab, then the co-financing deal with Paramount. Those moves lulled Redstone into dropping his guard. And in that gap, the TA Network exploded like a skyscraper shooting up from nowhere!
Just six months ago, TA's subscriber count had tanked to 2 million after a price hike—barely half of Showtime's numbers. But since May, TA hit the gas hard.
Spider-Man and Saw were just warm-ups. The real feast? Six Feet Under.
A recent issue of a TV magazine ranked the top ten greatest American shows ever. Friends took the undisputed crown, followed by HBO's breakout hit The Sopranos, then Seinfeld, The X-Files, and The West Wing. Six Feet Under landed at sixth—and that's just its first season!
Redstone wielded massive clout in media, his sharp, no-nonsense style always a hit with Wall Street. Getting outplayed by Dunn like this? He wasn't thrilled.
Though it was past office hours, Redstone lingered at his desk, glaring at a fresh report. His face was grim.
It detailed Six Feet Under's finale viewership from two days ago, plus TA Network's latest subscriber stats.
The finale drew over 2.8 million U.S. households—only 140,000 using free trials. For premium cable, that's a viewership miracle! Only HBO's titans, The Sopranos and Sex and the City, could compete. Viacom's Showtime? Not even in the same league—just staring up in awe.
Then there's TA's subscriber count: now at 4.9 million, up 2 million in three months! Sure, it trailed Showtime's 5.3 million, but was that even a fair comparison?
Showtime's base plan? $9.99 for three months.
TA's? $29.99 for three months!
Premium cable skips ads, relying on subscriptions and DVD/video sales. Showtime, with no original series, had no disc revenue, and its subscription income next to TA's was laughable.
TA's 4.9 million subscribers paid 2.4 times Showtime's rate—equivalent to 12 million Showtime users! For today's premium cable, that's astronomical. If Showtime hit 12 million, Redstone might wake up laughing from his dreams.
HBO, the industry kingpin, had just 7.5 million subscribers, with a base plan of $14.99 for three months—still no match for TA's pricing.
Here's the kicker: Six Feet Under was a "low-budget" $30 million show. Next month, the real juggernaut lands—Band of Brothers, a $120 million beast!
"HBO's a bunch of clowns!" Redstone growled.
He'd never ignored TA, but he'd figured Dunn's cable game was too green—HBO could squash him easy. Boy, was he wrong.
HBO did strike, snagging Band of Brothers' rights. But Dunn's guts and swagger were unreal—he dropped a wild $80 million to nab the North American TV rights! In the TV world, only a nutcase outsider like Dunn would pull that stunt.
It was price-gouging insanity!
That said, the $80 million splash made waves. DreamWorks hyped it to death, giving the miniseries insane buzz before it even aired. Come September, Band of Brothers would likely turbocharge TA's subscriber count even more.
At this pace, forget Showtime—Time Warner's HBO could end up eating TA's dust!
Redstone had seen his share of storms. Honestly, he didn't care much about premium
premium cable's tiny sandbox—it was peanuts compared to his trillion-dollar Viacom empire. What gnawed at him was Dunn's sneaky little tricks.
He felt duped.
At his age, especially with his stubborn streak, Redstone hated young punks playing mind games with him.
Without much thought, he dialed Dunn's number.
Meanwhile, Dunn was at his Mid-Level Villa, swapping outfits amid the giggles of Penelope Cruz, Rose Byrne, and Abbie Cornish. He had a family gathering to hit up.
When Redstone's call came through, Dunn's gut tightened. "Mr. Redstone? Hey, it's Dunn."
"Heh, not interrupting, am I?"
"Nope! What's up?"
Redstone kept it cool. "Nothing big. I caught Six Feet Under on TA—fresh angle, deep themes, solid stuff. I'd love to air it on Showtime. Think you could part with it?"
Dunn's heart sank.
That wasn't a request—it was an order!
Could he say no?
Back when he was a nobody, he'd turned down Tom Rothman. Later, growing some chops, he'd brushed off Michael Eisner's threats. Now, Dunn stood tall in Hollywood, spine straight, unfazed by anyone—even Kirk Douglas didn't rattle him.
But this was Sumner Redstone.
Dunn wanted to say no—words on the tip of his tongue—but he held back.
Six Feet Under was the hottest show around. Tons of local stations were clamoring for second-run rights, offering fat checks. Emmy rules meant a show needed 51% of U.S. viewers—over 55 million households—to qualify. With 110 million homes nationwide, TA's reach was too small. Even HBO's dramas hit other platforms to meet that bar.
This had three perks:
1. Local stations had to censor the edgy stuff, pushing viewers to TA or DVDs for the full cut.
2. An Emmy nod boosted a show's clout and disc sales.
3. Showtime's $9.99 beat TA's $29.99, but Showtime's 80 million North American subscribers dwarfed TA's reach—80% of homes subscribed. Premium cable's niche wasn't price; it was the lingering "adult content" stigma. Local airings could shift older viewers' views, showing premium cable offered quality, wholesome hits—something HBO had been pushing lately.
For TA to grow, it had to keep that up.
But not with Showtime!
Both were premium cable—both could air the uncut Six Feet Under. If viewers caught a censored local version and got curious, where'd they subscribe? The cheaper option, obviously.
Intentional or not, Redstone's ask was a slap to Dunn and TA—forcing him to cozy up to a rival!
Dunn went silent for a solid twenty seconds. The call's vibe turned icy.
Redstone broke it first, chuckling. "What's up, tough call?"
Dunn was fuming—ready to cuss him out!
A media titan who'd built his empire on cable didn't get this basic logic? Bullshit!
Pretending, you old fox!
But the timing was dicey. Dunn was set to cash in big on the "9/11" fallout—no question. With that windfall, though, he'd face media backlash over ethics. Right now, cozying up to media giants was critical.
And yeah, Dunn was a Hollywood heavyweight—Michael Eisner couldn't touch him. But Redstone? A legend. Wall Street ties, Hollywood pull, White House pals—the undisputed media king of America.
Dunn wasn't his match—not yet.
Don't forget Barry Diller's cautionary tale!