Jason Kilar
AT&T CEO John Stankey Bids Farewell to WarnerMedia Staff in Memo: “I Offer My Heartfelt Thanks”
With the WarnerMedia-Discovery merger on the cusp of closing, AT&T CEO John Stankey sent a farewell memo to WarnerMedia employees Friday, commending them for their work, and wishing them well under the new leadership of incoming Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav. “You are to be congratulated and commended. The road wasn’t easy or clear,” […]
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What’s Next for Jason Kilar After WarnerMedia: “There’s No Retiring in My Plans”
About two years after AT&T named him CEO of WarnerMedia, Jason Kilar told staff at the entertainment giant on Tuesday that he was leaving when the company’s merger with Discovery closes. The executive’s tenure featured innovation, such as the launch of HBO Max and hybrid movie releases, but also drama and heated debate. He faced […]
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CNN’s Allison Gollust Resigns After Investigation Into Chris Cuomo and Jeff Zucker
Allison Gollust has stepped down from her chief marketing officer role at CNN following a third-party investigation into the news network amid recent controversy surrounding Chris Cuomo and Jeff Zucker. The announcement was made in a memo from WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar that was shared with The Hollywood Reporter. “Based on interviews of more than 40 […]
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After Jeff Zucker’s Exit: CNN Holds “Tense” Meeting With Jason Kilar as Staff Reels
Jeff Zucker’s stunning resignation from CNN has left staff at the company reeling at one of the most critical points in its 42-year history. The channel is in the midst of two corporate-level shifts: Entering the streaming wars via its CNN+ service this spring, and preparing to operate under new ownership once the merger of […]
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WarnerMedia CEO Says Theatrical Films Will “Matter for Decades to Come”
“What we have learned is that motion pictures continue to matter, we believe they are going to matter for decades to come, and we are proudly investing in them,” WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar said on Thursday during AT&T’s third-quarter earnings conference call when asked about lessons from Warner Bros.’ hybrid release strategy this year. “We […]
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HBO Max and HBO Lose 1.8M U.S. Subs on Amazon Prime Exit, Global Users Rise by 1.9M
HBO and HBO Max finished the third quarter in September with 45.2 million U.S. subscribers, down 1.8 million from the 47 million recorded as of the end of the second quarter following its “strategic decision to remove the HBO subscription from Amazon Prime Channels,” WarnerMedia parent and telecom giant AT&T said Thursday. Global HBO and […]
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WarnerMedia CEO Concedes Rushed Rollout of HBO Max Day-and-Date Plan
WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar said he rushed the communication of his decision to place Warner Bros.’ 2021 film slate on HBO Max and should’ve taken “the better part of a month” to speak with the more than 170 individuals impacted by the day-and-date shift. “I will be the first one to say, and the responsibility […]
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WarnerMedia Launching “House of Max” Branded Content Studio
WarnerMedia is launching a new branded content studio, in a bid to turbocharge HBO Max’s new advertising-supported tier. The new studio, called House of Max, “will deliver marketers meaningful and brand-forward partnership opportunities aligned with WarnerMedia’s renowned talent, iconic characters, resounding storytellers and premium brands to drive full-funnel business results,” the company says. In other […]
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Warner Bros. to Produce 10 Movies Exclusively for HBO Max in 2022
WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar insists his studio won’t abandon exclusive releases of tentpole pics at the local theater, but will also produce 10 movies next year exclusively for HBO Max to drive subscriber growth at the streaming service. “The motion picture format absolutely matters,” Kilar told analysts on an AT&T earnings call as he returned […]
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HBO Max Execs Talk Delaying European Launch to 2022, Focus on Latin America
As WarnerMedia follows the international playbook of HBO for the rollout of its streaming service HBO Max overseas, it has hit a fork in the road. The media giant on Thursday said it may delay its launch of a localized version of HBO Max in Europe in some territories to early 2022 as it “leans […]
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The Fine Print Behind Jason Kilar’s WarnerMedia Contract
Jason Kilar has more than 20 million reasons to stay on as CEO of WarnerMedia for the time being as the company awaits regulatory approval to merge with Discovery. When Kilar was hired in spring 2020, he was granted more than 1.6 million shares of AT&T stock, set to vest over four years beginning Feb. […]
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Behind Jason Kilar’s Unsettled Future at WarnerMedia
Just as WarnerMedia has some hope for the future, the company is alarmingly stuck in the past. With the Discovery merger likely to take a year or more to close, the company is to some degree hamstrung: Top executives who are seen as lame ducks will be showing up on Zoom calls (or in-person meetings?) […]
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