WarnerMedia hires former Hulu leader Jason Kilar as new chief executive
WARNERMEDIA has hired former Hulu chief executive Jason Kilar as its new CEO, filling a void created when John Stankey was promoted to AT&T president and chief operating officer last year.
Kilar will report to Stankey. Kilar ran Hulu from its founding in 2007 through 2013, navigating both the early choppy waters of streaming video and the tangle of multiple owners, including
Disney, Comcast and 21st Century Fox. Warner owned 10 per cent of Hulu until Disney bought it out last year.
Whether the news means that the AT&T-bred Stankey will have less daily oversight of WarnerMedia or simply one more report remains to be seen. Warner already has a bevy of big entertainment names in its executive ranks, including chairman of WarnerMedia entertainment and direct-toconsumer Robert Greenblatt and chair and chief executive of Warner Bros. Ann Sarnoff.
Kilar, who will begin May 1, takes the role at a critical time for WarnerMedia. The entertainment conglomerate is preparing to debut streaming service HBO Max next month, and AT&T executives clearly believe Kilar can guide it through launch and to a place where it can compete with rival services Netflix and Disney Plus.
Stankey said in a statement that “Jason is a dynamic executive with the right skill set to lead WarnerMedia into the future.
His experience in media and entertainment, direct-toconsumer video streaming and advertising is the perfect fit for WarnerMedia.” — The Washington Post