Gerhard Zeiler to Join Time Warner as President TBS International

LONDON – RTL CEO Gerhard Zeiler, who announced Tuesday that he was leaving the European broadcasting group after 13 years, said he wanted to grow TBS’s channels business and “develop new businesses” at the Time Warner-owned group.

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As president, Turner Broadcasting System International, Zeiler will be responsible for all the entertainment and kids networks and media operations outside North America, reporting to TBS chairman and CEO Phil Kent.

He will be in charge of almost 4000 staff in Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America and an international channel portfolio comprising CNN, TNT, Cartoon Network and Turner Classic Movies.

TBS has recently ramped up its business operations in Latin America, Japan, Korea and the Nordic territories and now operates more than 130 channels across 200 countries.

“We are delighted that Gerhard is joining us and look forward to the leadership, perspective and wealth of international television experience he will bring to one of the most successful and most strategically important areas of our company,” said Kent.

Zeiler, who will step down from RTL at the company’s Annual General Meeting in April, said his brief was to expand the business and the company’s profile in the international business community,”

“This move is an opportunity to help grow some of the most valuable media brands in the world and develop new businesses alongside people I admire, like Phil and colleagues across Time Warner I have known and worked with over the years,” he said.