WarnerMedia said it has named former Hulu CEO and founder Jason Kilar as its new chief executive, replacing John Stankey who remains chief operating officer of parent AT&T.
AT&T had been searching for a WarnerMedia CEO ever since promoting Stankey to the COO position in September. Kilar was among several executives -- including former Hulu CEO Randy Freer and former Walt Disney Co. COO Tom Staggs -- being considered for the job, according to reports.
Kilar will assume his new role on May 1.
“Jason is a dynamic executive with the right skill set to lead WarnerMedia into the future. His experience in media and entertainment, direct-to-consumer video streaming and advertising is the perfect fit for WarnerMedia, and I am excited to have him lead the next chapter of WarnerMedia’s storied success,” Stankey said in a press release. “Our team led by Bob Greenblatt, Ann Sarnoff, Gerhard Zeiler and Jeff Zucker has done an amazing job establishing our brands as leaders in the hearts and minds of consumers. Adding Jason to the talented WarnerMedia family as we launch HBO Max in May gives us the right management team to strategically position our leading portfolio of brands, world-class talent and rich library of intellectual property for future growth.”
Kilar was CEO of Hulu from its start in 2007 until 2013. Prior to Hulu, he served in several positions at Amazon from 1997 to 2006, including SVP of Worldwide Application Software. Kilar also was co-founder & CEO of video streaming service Vessel from 2013 to 2017.
“In partnership with this world-class team, I'm so excited for the opportunity to lean into the future at WarnerMedia,” said Kilar 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 1st can't get here soon enough.”
