Robyn Polashuk

Robyn R. Polashuk is co-chair of firm’s Communications and Media Industry Group. She focuses her practice on the licensing and distribution of television networks and programming content across a variety of platforms, including cable and satellite, IPTV, mobile, and Internet.

These transactions span the business models available to consumers, such as subscription linear, ad-supported, subscription and transactional video-on-demand, electronic sell-through, and interactive applications. As part of this work, she also negotiates retransmission consent agreements on behalf of broadcast stations.

Ms. Polashuk has extensive experience in digital distribution in the areas of “over the top” (OTT), TV Everywhere (TVE), and direct-to-consumer (DTC) structures. She handles a variety of agreements in this space, including traditional network and program distribution, premium subscription content licenses, app placement and revenue sharing, and dynamic advertising insertion arrangements.

Ms. Polashuk’s practice also extends to due diligence and contractual analysis in connection with media-related corporate transactions and most favored nations review and interpretation.

In this practice, Ms. Polashuk represents leading media groups, film and television studios, sports leagues and emerging networks, in general entertainment, national and regional sports and specialized programming genres, as well as both major and emerging technology, and Internet companies.

These have included AMC Networks, Disney and ABC, CBS, Fox Cable Networks, Hulu, NFL Network, Ovation, Pac-12 Networks, PBS, Pluto TV, Sony Pictures, TV One, Univision Communications, and Viacom.

She has negotiated on behalf of content owners with all the traditional television distributors, such as AT&T/DIRECTV, Charter/Spectrum, Comcast, DISH Network. and Verizon, as well as OTT distributors and platforms, such as DIRECTV Now, PlayStation Vue, Roku, Sling TV, Twitter, and YouTube TV.

Education :

• Harvard Business School, Cable Television Executive Management Program, 2004
• University of California at Los Angeles School of Law, J.D., 1994
• University of Southern California, Annenberg School of Communications, M.A., 1988
• Duke University, B.A., 1987

Bar Admissions :

• California
• District of Columbia
• New York

Memberships and Affiliations :

• Ziffren Center for Media, Entertainment, Technology and Sports Law at the UCLA School of Law, Member of the Advisory Board
• UCLA Entertainment Symposium, Member of the Advisory Board
• Women in Cable and Telecommunications (WICT), Member
• Federal Communications Bar Association, Chair and Co-Founder of Southern California Chapter; Chapter Representative to Executive Committee
• American Bar Association, Member

Previous Experience :

• Lifetime Television, Vice President, Distribution Legal Affairs (2001-2005)
• The Walt Disney Company, Senior Counsel, New Technology Law Group (1996-2001)