20. The Dishheads

Chase Carey
Title: President/CEO, DirecTV

Charlie Ergen
Title: Founder/CEO, Dish Network/EchoStar

Why Them? Admit it: You secretly like having the DBS guys around. Sure, they’ve stolen millions of subscribers over the years. And yes, they bash cable every chance they get (How about those “My TV Sucks” commercials from EchoStar? Nice). But lately, cable’s been kicking their satellite-delivered butts with the triple play. And that has to feel good. But it could be a mistake to write off the mustached guile of Chase Carey or the homespun aw-shucksness of Charlie Ergen. Both of these guys are savvy capitalists who know how to win. Without VoIP or broadband to buoy their balance sheets, they’re betting much on HD. Both are working to increase capacity to compete. They might even merge! Note to cable: Don’t get overconfident. Your stock’s up right now. DBS’ stock is uncertain. Sweet revenge perhaps, but it may not last forever. - MG

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