Charter Communications has hired former NBC and Chernin Entertainment executive Katherine Pope as head of original content to oversee the cable giant’s new effort to create its own TV shows.
Charter previously announced that it has struck partnerships with AMC and Viacom, and Pope will oversee those along with future relationships dedicated to its slate of original shows.
Pope — whose official title is senior vp, head of original content — will be based in Los Angeles and she will report to senior executive vp David Ellen.
“I’m excited to partner with networks, studios and creators to build a high-quality original content experience for Charter’s wide-ranging and diverse audience,” Pope said.
Pope was most recently head of TV at Studio 8 where she helped launch the company’s independent television division. Prior to that, she was president of television at Chernin, and before that she was executive vp of the NBC network and president of the NBCU Television Studios.
Charter’s original content will appear first on its own platform, and analysts see the effort as a way to retain subscribers who might otherwise become “cord-cutters,” a term for those who have ditched cable and satellite TV in favor of Hulu, Amazon and other digital services that offer on-demand shows streamed via the internet.
“Katherine’s creativity, strategic prowess and wealth of industry knowledge will play an instrumental role in positioning Charter as an industry leader in the creation and distribution of high-quality, original entertainment that will further differentiate Charter’s market-leading video products in ways that create value and drive subscribership,” said Ellen.
