Founding Hulu CEO Jason Kilar has been named WarnerMedia CEO, effective May 1, the company announced Wednesday. (Adweek)
Kilar succeeds John Stankey, 57 years old, who last year gained an additional title as AT&T’s chief operating officer, putting him in line to succeed company chief executive Randall Stephenson. Kilar will report to Stankey. (WSJ)
In his new role, Kilar will assume oversight of a vast media portfolio, one that includes news network CNN, film studio Warner Bros. and prestige cable network HBO. (THR)
Kilar’s appointment reflects the fact that HBO Max is WarnerMedia’s biggest corporate priority this year. HBO Max is the company’s answer to Netflix, Disney+ and other options in the streaming marketplace. It is set to launch in May. (CNN Business
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Kilar built Hulu into a streaming player from its inception in 2007 as a joint venture of Fox and NBCUniversal. Kilar served as co-founder and CEO of the startup streamer Vessel from 2013 to 2017. He’s also served on the boards of Univision and DreamWorks Animation in recent years. (Variety)