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Robyn 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.
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)
October 20, 2020, Covington Alert
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency, but its agenda is controlled by its Chairman, who along with any new Commissioners, is appointed by the President. The November 3rd election therefore will have a substantial effect on the FCC’s policies for the telecommunications, media, and technology sectors in 2021 and beyond. This alert ...
July 14, 2020
LOS ANGELES—Variety has named Covington partners Matthew DelNero, Mitch Kamin, Robyn Polashuk, and Neema Sahni to its 2020 Legal Impact Report. Variety notes that “these legal eagles made massive deals and litigated thorny disputes for entertainment industry clients, studios and networks.” In its feature, Variety notes Covington as a “go-to for TV programmers,” ...
February 25, 2020
WASHINGTON—Covington represented Univision Holdings, Inc. in its definitive agreement to sell a majority ownership interest to private investment firms Searchlight Capital Partners, LP and ForgeLight LLC. Under the terms of the acquisition, Searchlight and ForgeLight will purchase a 64 percent interest from Univision stockholders while Televisa, a leading media ...
December 13, 2019
Variety has named Robyn Polashuk to its 2019 Dealmakers Impact Report, recognizing people behind the biggest pacts in the world of showbiz. Ms. Polashuk co-chairs the firm's Communications and Media Industry Group, which provides the highest level of legal and strategic advice to telecommunications, media, and technology companies around the world. Her ...
May 8, 2019
LOS ANGELES—The Daily Journal has named Robyn Polashuk, Clara Shin, and Sonya Winner to its 2019 “Top Women Lawyers,” recognizing the “top women lawyers in California.” Ms. Polashuk co-chairs the firm's Communications and Media Industry Group and serves as managing partner of the firm’s Los Angeles office. Her practice focuses on the licensing and distribution ...
Robyn Polashuk Named to Los Angeles Business Journal’s “Most Influential Women Lawyers” List
April 15, 2019
LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles Business Journal named Covington partner Robyn Polashuk to its 2019 list of “Most Influential Women Lawyers.” This is the fifth consecutive year the publication has named her to the list. Ms. Polashuk, who co-chairs the firm’s Communications and Media Industry Group and serves as managing partner of the Los Angeles office, was ...
May 9, 2018
LOS ANGELES—Covington partners Carolyn Kubota, Robyn Polashuk, and Sonya Winner have been named to the Daily Journal’s 2018 “Top 100 Women Lawyers” list, recognizing the “top women lawyers in California.” Based in the firm’s Los Angeles office, Ms. Kubota is a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers and has served as lead counsel on high-profile ...
#MCNWW 2018: Women to Watch
January 29, 2018, Multichannel News
Robyn Polashuk was named to Multichannel News' 2018 class of “Women to Watch.” Commenting on what she likes most about her job, Polashuk says, "I love the diversity of the clients and projects, and the interesting new issues I am asked to address nearly every day in our evolving industry." In her profile, Polashuk also stresses the importance of growing ...
January 29, 2018
LOS ANGELES—Multichannel News has named Covington partner Robyn Polashuk to its 2018 class of “Women to Watch.” Ms. Polashuk is the only outside counsel named to the list. “This year’s group of Women to Watch is pushing the boundaries in both personal and professional achievements,” said Mark Robichaux, Editorial Director of Multichannel News. The award ...
January 24, 2018, Covington Alert
Digital advertising typically involves a vast network of publishers, advertisers and their agencies, advertising exchanges and networks, technology platforms, and measurement and data analytics providers. To help streamline the commercial dealings of all of these parties in this complex ecosystem, advertising industry self-regulatory groups have developed ...
June 12, 2017
LOS ANGELES—Covington partners Robyn Polashuk, Clara Shin, and Sonya Winner have been named to the Daily Journal’s 2017 “Top 100 Women Lawyers” list, which recognizes the leading women lawyers in California who “try complex commercial disputes and put together industry-transforming deals.” Managing partner of the firm’s Los Angeles office, Ms. Polashuk focuses ...
May 1, 2017, Covington Alert
In a widely anticipated step, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has released the text of a draft Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) proposing to change the legal framework that governs broadband providers, eliminate the “Internet conduct standard” for evaluating broadband provider practices on a case-by-case basis, and seek comment on whether to keep, modify, or ...
April 26, 2017
LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles Business Journal has named Covington partner Robyn Polashuk one of the “Most Influential Women Lawyers” in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Business Journal recognized Ms. Polashuk’s “unique practice that lies at the intersection of traditional and digital media.” The profile highlighted Ms. Polashuk’s representation of entertainment ...
September 1, 2016, The Recorder
Wade Ackerman and Robyn Polashuk are quoted in a Recorder article regarding the growth of the firm’s LA office, which includes Ackerman’s recent arrival. "We're in a period of unprecedented change in the way products are regulated, and a lot of companies are on the West Coast,” said Ackerman. Commenting on West Coast business, Polashuk says, “It hasn't been, ...
Digital Deals - Networks, Studios and Producers - Monetizing Content Across Platforms
May 5, 2016, Digital Hollywood Spring
April 20, 2016
LOS ANGELES — Covington partners Emily Henn, Robyn Polashuk and Sonya Winner have been named to the Daily Journal’s annual list of “Top Women Lawyers” in California. The list recognizes 100 lawyers who “try complex commercial disputes and put together industry-transforming deals.” Ms. Henn, based in the firm’s Silicon Valley office, co-chairs the firm’s Class ...
February 3, 2016
WASHINGTON, DC — Covington assisted the National Football League in negotiating its partnership with CBS and NBC to produce and televise "Thursday Night Football" for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. In addition to continuing its Thursday Night Football partnership with CBS, the NFL is adding NBC as a partner, with both networks set to air five Thursday Night Football ...
Panel Discussion: OTT, TVE and Skinny Bundles: Can’t We All Just Get Along
October 1, 2015, Panelist, Cablefax TV Innovation Summit
Panel Discussion: The New Distribution Deals
June 18, 2015, Moderator, Next TV Summit & Expo
May 18, 2015
SILICON VALLEY, May 15, 2015 — Covington partners Emily Johnson Henn and Robyn Polashuk have been named to the Daily Journal’s list of “Top Women Lawyers” in California. The list recognizes 100 lawyers who “try complex commercial disputes and put together industry-transforming deals.” Ms. Henn, based in the firm’s Silicon Valley office, was recognized for her ...
Panel Discussion: Online Distribution of Video Content: New Opportunities and Challenges
April 30, 2015, Panelist, Association of Media and Entertainment Counsel
April 7, 2015
LOS ANGELES, April 7, 2015 — Multichannel News named Covington partner Robyn Polashuk one of nine leading cable-industry lawyers “who seal the deals in cable.” In its profile, Multichannel News highlighted Ms. Polashuk’s work on a wide array of distribution deals, including Univision in its broadcast and cable carriage deal with Dish Network’s OTT Sling TV ...
Covington Opens Los Angeles Office
March 6, 2015
LOS ANGELES, March 6, 2015 — Covington will open a new office in Los Angeles on March 9. The office will be staffed by current firm lawyers and three new senior lawyers and will focus initially on insurance coverage, media and content distribution, patent litigation, public policy/government affairs and white collar defense. "We believe there is a strong base ...
February 12, 2015, Law360
Covington's Robyn Polashuk and Lala Qadir have authored this piece on the measure by the Federal Communications Commission relating to Internet transmissions.
Online Video Distributors as MVPDs: Overview and Implications of the FCC’s NPRM
January 13, 2015, Panelist, Covington Webinar
Panel: Evolution in Revolt: Strategies and Tactics for the New TV Business
September 18, 2014, Panelist, Cablefax TV Innovation Summit
Panel: OTT Distribution—The Changes, Challenges and Opportunities
March 20, 2014, Panelist, Transcending Multiculturalism, 14th Annual Multicultural Media Forum
The Net Neutrality Ruling: Background, Summary and Implications
March 4, 2014, Moderator
Content in a World of Cloud TV: The Obstacles to Ubiquity and What to Expect in the Near Term
September 26, 2013, Columbia University Institute on Tele-Information, State of Telecom 2013
- Variety, "2020 Legal Impact Report"
- Recognized by Variety on its 2019's Dealmakers list which honors "the people behind the biggest pacts in the world of showbiz."
- Multichannel News "Women to Watch" (2018)
- Daily Journal, "Top Women Lawyers" (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019)
- Los Angeles Business Journal, "Most Influential Women Lawyers" (2017)
- Cablefax, "Top Lawyer" (2017-2018)
- Multichannel News, "Top Cable Deal Lawyer" (2015)
- Legal 500 US, Media, Technology and Telecoms - Telecoms & Broadcast (2015-2017); Intellectual Property - Patent Licensing and Transactional (2015); Media, Technology and Telecoms - Technology (2015)