Making good on declarations made late last year by its chief executive, Jeff Bewkes, Time Warner Inc. is launching a new studio under its Warner Bros. umbrella focused on beefing up OTT programming and services across the conglomerate's portfolios.
Housed in Burbank, Calif., along with all the other Warner Bros. studio assets, Warner Bros. Digital Networks will be charged with expanding the company's overall OTT footprint, launching new original shows, growing current company-owned services and expanding strategic alliances.
The new division will be headed by Craig Hunegs, who will add the title of division president to his existing moniker of president, business and strategy for Warner Bros. TV Group.
"In today's on-demand world, OTT gives us a really effective means to directly provide consumers the programming they want," said Kevin Tsujihara, chairman and CEO of Warner Bros., to whom Hunegs reports "By forming Warner Bros. Digital Networks, we'll be able to operate more nimbly as we continue to develop and deliver on our digital strategy which will complement our industry-leading distribution business."
Time Warner wants the new div vision to accelerate the company's already existing OTT activities, including SVOD services DramaFever and Warner Archive Instant. The division will also manage Time Warner's investments in YouTube programmer Machinima, as well as Uninterrupted (a digital partnership with basketball star LeBron James and Ellen Digital Ventures (a partnership with Warner syndicated TV star Ellen DeGeneres).
The new digital programming studio will also work to bolster the OTT efforts of Time Warner-owned divisions including Turner networks and HBO.
For more:
- read this Bloomberg story
- read this Los Angeles Times story
- read this Warner Bros. statement
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