Christopher Brearton

Among his recent deals, Brearton has helped to create three new cable networks.

He represented Participant Media in the acquisition of the Documentary Channel and the distribution of assets of cable network Halogen TV, which were combined and relaunched as Pivot, which Brearton said, focuses on socially conscious programming for Millennials.

He represented Univision Communications Inc. in its strategic partnership with El Rey Network, a new English-language cable channel; and in its deal with ABC News to launch an innovative new cable network, Fusion, targeting English-speaking Hispanics living in the United States.

A common thread of these networks is that all three generate dual-revenue streams, Brearton said..

"What drives the television business now is the dual-revenue stream model," Brearton said. "Historically, the broadcast networks relied on ads only and that was contingent on consumers buying products. It was very dependent on the economy."

Now, he added, "Cable networks and broadcast networks have the benefit of ads, but also a dual stream with subscriber fees. This has created more capital for the networks and more consistent capital."

In another matter, Brearton, along with partner Joseph Calabrese, serve as primary outside counsel for the International Olympic Committee.

He has advised the committee on its broadcast agreements, media transactions, sponsorship, venue and bid matters around the world, including its $7.75 billion arrangement with NBCUniversal Inc. for the U.S. broadcast rights for the Olympic Games through 2032.

"NBC made a commitment to the Olympics, which is high-quality programming," Brearton said. "They can program the Olympics widely across platforms every two years when the games are staged, and use that to generate value for their platforms and demand high ad dollars and subscriber fees."

He added, "It all comes back to dual revenue streams and high-quality content."

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