HBO’s New Owner, AT&T, Wants to Make the Network Bigger and Broader, Like Netflix

The exec says moves will help them monetize through ‘alternate’ advertising models

Five years ago, Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos famously shared his then-fledgling streaming service’s bold strategy with GQ: “The goal is to become HBO faster than HBO can become us.”

Now, HBO’s new parent company, AT&T, has a vision for the premium cable network that would seem to realize the second part of Sarandos’ statement: making HBO bigger and broader with more shows, just like Netflix.

John Stankey, CEO of AT&T’s media businesses, which now include HBO, Warner Bros.

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