Richard Plepler


Why content execs are winning in Hollywood

Hollywood is facing some of the most drastic executive restructuring it has ever encountered, with regime changes at Disney and NBCUniversal setting the scene for the industry’s next SVOD-focused chapter. Manori Ravindran reports on why content, and not digital, execs are getting the top jobs As Hollywood digs itself out of a seismic 18-month period […]

HBO chief Richard Plepler steps down amid WarnerMedia reorg

HBO CEO Richard Plepler has abruptly stepped down from the AT&T-owned company after 27 years of service, as WarnerMedia looks to reorganise its operations. Plepler’s decision arrived on Thursday, days after the United States Court of Appeals rejected the US Justice Department’s last-ditch attempt to break up the AT&T-Time Warner merger. AT&T has moved quickly […]

AT&T boss: Netflix is the Walmart of media

AT&T boss and chairman Randall Stephenson has compared Netflix to US retail brand Walmart and HBO to jeweller Tiffany & Co in a bid to distinguish the competing brands. The exec, speaking at the 27th annual Goldman Sachs Communacopia Conference in Dallas on Wednesday (12 September), likened the streaming giant to the US discount department […]

John Stankey predicts ‘tough year ahead’ for HBO

John Stankey, the new overseer of HBO post-AT&T merger, has predicted a difficult year ahead for the network, which he likened to the pains of childbirth. Stankey, the new chief executive of Warner Media, made the comments during a town hall meeting with 150 employees in Manhattan, New York, according to The New York Times. […]

HBO adds int’l originals to US service

HBO will add original series from its European, Asian and Latin American services to its US flagship from December. Originals from HBO Europe, HBO Asia and HBO Latin America will be added to the US premium pay service, HBO chairman and CEO Richard Plepler announced yesterday at MIPCOM in Cannes. Shows included in the agreement […]

HBO hit by cyber attack

HBO has confirmed that it has been the victim of a cyber attack, with hackers stealing proprietary information “including some of our programming”. In an email sent to staff, HBO chairman and CEO Richard Plepler said that the ‘cyber incident’ had been “disruptive, unsettling, and disturbing” but did not go into details of what content […]

Sky, HBO in $250m high-end drama deal

Leading pay TV players Sky and HBO are joining forces to create a development slate of high-end dramas that will be worth around US$250 million. The pair will aim to develop and co-commission “high-end productions that feature engaging stories with international points of view and casting”. A panel of execs from both companies will greenlight […]

Bewkes: AT&T will ‘accelerate’ HBO Now growth

The international distribution of the HBO Now SVOD service will be “accelerated” by the sale of Time Warner to telecoms giant AT&T, according to Jeff Bewkes. Speaking on an investor call yesterday, Time Warner CEO Bewkes (pictured) said plans to spread HBO Now – originally a US service – into new territories were progressing, and […]

HBO launching in Spain with Vodafone

HBO has struck a deal with Vodafone in Spain for the launch of its planned streaming video-on-demand service in the country, to be called HBO España. HBO said its Spanish service will launch with an extensive catalogue of premium content including current series such as Game of Thrones, True Detective, Veep, Silicon Valley and a variety […]

HBO confirms new content president

Casey Bloys will fill Michael Lombardo’s shoes at HBO after the president of programming announced his exit following a 33-year stint at the premium cabler. Bloys was given a wider role at HBO earlier this year, adding drama to his comedy brief, in the wake of Michael Ellenberg’s departure. He has now been upped again, and […]