Santa Monica, Calif.—Television means many things to many people but Roma Khanna, president of MGM Studios Television Group and Digital, said that for her it’s an experience.
“Television is an experience…to me it is a story that is longer than two hours,” she said. “But it doesn’t have to be my TV screen.”
Khanna’s remarks came Tuesday during a keynote Q&A moderated by B&C programming and digital media editor Dan Holloway at the Next TV Summit in Santa Monica, Calif.
The exec, who was one of three honored with a Next TV Women Digital Leadership Award at the event, went on to explain that where and how TV is consumed doesn’t matter. It’s the story that unfolds over the course of a season that is important.
But she did emphasize that the traditional concept of TV is still an important part of the landscape.
“Linear television still works and still matters. Period,” she said.
Khanna’s passion for the story and the experience has helped her since she joined MGM in 2011, which at the time had recently emerged from bankruptcy.
She was tasked with relaunching the company into the TV space.
“It was daunting to come in,” she said. “No team. No development slate.”
Earlier in June, FX’s Fargo, which is produced by MGM, tied with Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black for most Critics’ Choice Television Awards.
“It’s been an amazing journey,” said Khanna of her experience at the studio.
MGM also produces MTV’s Teen Wolf and is the distributor for History’s Vikings.
