Founding CEO of Hulu and former SVP of Amazon Jason Kilar has been named CEO of WarnerMedia, effective May 1. He will unseat John Stankey, who is moving on to become AT&T’s President and Chief Operating Officer.
“In partnership with this world-class team, I’m so excited for the opportunity to lean into the future at WarnerMedia,” Kilar said in a press release. “Stories well told have always mattered, and they matter even more in this challenging time for the world. It will be a privilege to invent, create, and serve with so many talented people. May 1 can’t get here soon enough.”
Kilar previously held several leadership positions at Amazon from 1997 to 2006, and then became the CEO of Hulu from its start in 2007 until 2013. He was also the co-founder and CEO of video streaming service Vessel from 2013 to 2017.
WarnerMedia is comprised of HBO, Turner, and Warner Bros. The media giant also recently merged with AT&T and Time Warner. In addition to robust outlets like CNN, TBS, and truTV, WarnerMedia also manages streaming giants including HBO Now, Boomerang, and DC Universe. HBO Max, set to launch in May, is a new streaming platform from WarnerMedia that will bring back fan-favorite movies and TV shows to the streaming fold, including Friends. Plus, hits that have not yet been available for streaming will also be available for the first time, including The Big Bang Theory and the Studio Ghibli film collection.
Photo: WarnerMedia