WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar is making his mark on the entertainment giant after just three months on the job.
The executive surprised Hollywood on Friday afternoon when he announced a comprehensive reorganization that included the departure of WarnerMedia Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt, who’d held that post for just under a year-and-a-half.
The shakeup, which Kilar described in a memo to staff as “smart and bold risks” consolidates WarnerMedia’s otherwise unwieldy content divisions into one unit that will be overseen by Warner Bros. chief Ann Sarnoff, a significant promotion for the BBC Worldwide North America executive who has been at the company since last summer. And, in a move that will consolidate programming decision making under one roof, HBO veteran Casey Bloys will report to Sarnoff and oversee a content team that encompasses the premium cable network, streamer HBO Max and a trio of basic cable channels.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Kilar says the purpose of the reorganization was to prioritize three pieces of the WarnerMedia business: its consumer-facing operations, its direct-to-consumer brands and global growth. The former indicates that WarnerMedia will direct its studios to operate less as content wholesalers and more as pipelines to its networks, particularly two-month-old HBO Max, but Kilar maintains that the company is “going to continue to lean into theatrical exhibition.”
WarnerMedia’s previous structure complicated the TV pitch process, forcing creatives to take meetings at both HBO and HBO Max, which at times didn’t appear to be communicating with each other about their interest in a project. “It became pretty clear that we needed to have one content organization,” Kilar concedes. But the new structure could also cause confusion for sellers about just where their project will land. Warner executives say it’s unlikely that a project would end up in a home that it wasn’t originally intended to be in, but that in some instances creators might need to decide on a less coveted home if they want to see their film or TV show get made.
Kilar also addressed Greenblatt’s departure, plans for layoffs and Ellen DeGeneres’ future at the company.
(Excerpt) Read more in: The Hollywood Reporter