Lionsgate said it signed a first-look television deal with Robert Greenblatt, the former top NBC Entertainment and WarnerMedia Entertainment executive.

Under the agreement, Greenblatt will produce television projects for Lionsgate through his new production company, The Green Room.

Greenblatt also announced that Jon Wu will join The Green Room in October as producer and head of filmed content. Wu had been VP of film & television for Reese Witherspoon’s media company, Hello Sunshine.

“I’m proud to welcome Bob to the Lionsgate family,” said Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer. “During the more than 30 years I’ve known him, he has been associated with some of the most iconic television shows in history, and his creative talent relationships and instincts for great IP are second to none. He brings to our television business a major studio and world-class platform perspective that will help to continue driving our growth.”

In addition to NBC and WarnerMedia, where he helped launch HBO Max, Greenblatt has been a top executive at Showtime and Fox.

“I’m honored to join Jon, Kevin, Sandra and the whole Lionsgate family in creating premium content for their expanding television slate,” said Greenblatt. “After working with them on hits like Weeds and Nurse Jackie, this felt like the most fitting and entrepreneurial creative home for my next chapter. I’m awed by their tenacity and track record as visionaries who are passionate about our business. I’m also thrilled to welcome Jon Wu to the new company and I look forward to our collaboration with all of the Lionsgate teams.”

AT&T chief financial officer John Stephens said layoffs and management changes at its WarnerMedia unit are a “refocusing” at the content division, and not because of “needed" adjustments at its new streaming service HBO Max.

WarnerMedia launched HBO Max on May 27 to a fairly tepid response -- about 87,000 downloads of its mobile app on Android and iOS devices on its first day, compared to 10 million for rival Disney Plus. Later the parent company claimed 4.1 million people activated the streaming service after its launch. 

But last week WarnerMedia underwent a massive management shakeup, with WarnerMedia Entertainment and Direct to Consumer chairman Bob Greenblatt and HBO Max chief content officer Kevin Reilly ousted among a flurry of other executives. In addition, reports surfaced Monday WarnerMedia would lay off about 600 workers across its HBO, Turner and Warner Bros. divisions. 

The moves come a few months after AT&T said it named former Hulu founder Jason Kilar as CEO of WarnerMedia, replacing John Stankey, who at the time was promoted to president and chief operating officer of AT&T. Stankey was named AT&T CEO in July. 

Other media giants are preparing to streamline their streaming businesses as well. NBCUniversal said earlier this month that it will reorganize its TV and streaming units. 

At the virtual Oppenheimer Technology, Internet & Communications Conference Tuesday,  Stephens said that the changes at WarnerMedia was an effort to “super hyper-focus” its management around its direct-to-consumer efforts, allowing all groups within WarnerMedia to “speak with one voice.”

Stephens acknowledged the restructuring also would reduce costs, allowing for a streamlining of back office and support functions, but added that WarnerMedia would invest those savings “into continuing to provide the best content out there.”

“I view it as more of a refocusing of the company,” Stephens continued, adding that the changes should be seen as a “transformation of making things better, not because we needed to adjust anything, but rather because we’re striving to get even better than the launch was…”

AT&T’s somewhat recently acquired WarnerMedia division has undergone its latest major restructuring, this one to establish new CEO Jason Kilar’s imprint on the media division.

Bob Greenblatt, chairman of WarnerMedia Entertainment and Direct-to-Consumer, and Kevin Reilly, chief content officer of HBO Max, TNT, TBS and trueTV, will be leaving the company. Also exiting is longtime corporate PR man Keith Cocozza, executive VP of corporate marketing and communications. 

Also read: AT&T Names Kilar as WarnerMedia CEO

Expanding her purview will be Warner Bros. Chair and CEO Ann Sarnoff, who will now lead WarnerMedia's newly created Studios and Networks Group. Sarnoff will add HBO, HBO Max, TNT, TBS and TruTV to her existing job portfolio. Also, Casey Bloys, president of HBO Programming, will now also oversee original content for HBO Max and the domestic linear networks TNT, TBS, and TruTV.

Greenblatt, formerly the top entertainment executive at Showtime and NBC, joined WarnerMedia as recently as March 2019, representing AT&T's biggest media executive hire since it closed on the erstwhile Time Warner Inc. just months prior.

Veteran programming executive Reilly had three years remaining on this contract. But speculation about his fate was swirling after it was revealed that he had met with NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell. NBCU announced its own restructuring Thursday.

AT&T's newly appointed CEO, John Stankey, announced the appointment of former Hulu boss Kilar as WarnerMedia's top executive on April 1, less than two months before the conglomerate's ambitious launch of HBO Max.

As for HBO Max, AT&T said during its Q2 earnings call that the service had signed up 4.1 million users in its first month, putting it on pace to reach the 50 million U.S. customers AT&T had projected for the platform in its first five years.

But from a pandemic that curtailed HBO Max's lofty original series ambitions, to distribution impasses that kept the HBO Max app off the two biggest connected TV platforms, Roku and Amazon Fire TV, the launch has hardly been as "flawless" as Stankey described during that earnings call.

In a note to staff Friday intercepted by numerous Hollywood trades, Kilar listed the reasons for the restructuring, putting "elevating HBO Max in the organization and expanding its scope globally" at the top.

Here's Kilar's entire memo:

Team-

It has been a little over 90 days since I joined the mission and the team. These past three months have exceeded my already high expectations. As I shared with you recently, my bullishness about our future has only grown as I have gotten to know you much better and as I have gotten to know our company much better. As some of you may recall, I shared three thoughts with you on my first day email:

That history was filled with examples of special entrepreneurial companies that leaned into moments of great change in order to better serve customers.

That our taking smart and bold risks is so important to the road ahead. And,

My belief that missionary companies ultimately shine…and my strong belief that ours is a team filled with missionaries.

With the above as context, I’d like to share some decisions I am announcing today that represent our leaning into this great moment of change, in order to better serve our customers. These changes, which are neither timid nor without risk, are possible in part because we are missionaries that ultimately believe we can and will change the world through story. That is what this all comes back to.

Because of the gift that is the internet, we have what I believe is one of the greatest opportunities in the history of media, which is to deliver our beloved stories and experiences directly to hundreds of millions of consumers across the globe. Earning this ambitious future won’t come easy. To do so, I believe it is vital that we change how we are organized, that we simplify, and that we act boldly and with urgency. The pandemic’s economic pressures and acceleration of direct-to-consumer streaming adoption places an even higher premium on these points.

To accomplish this, we are going to do the following:

We are elevating HBO Max in the organization and expanding its scope globally.

We are simplifying how we organize our studios.

We are creating a consolidated International unit focused on scale and efficiency.

We are bringing our key commercial activities into one group to allow us to operate more strategically.

We are making other structural changes that will help us operate more effectively and efficiently.

Andy Forssell, General Manager of HBO Max, will now be leading a newly created HBO Max operating business unit and report to me. Andy and his team will be responsible for the product, marketing, consumer engagement and global rollout of HBO Max.

Ann Sarnoff, Warner Bros. Chair and CEO, will be leading our newly created Studios and Networks Group, combining original production (content studios) and programming capabilities currently spread across Warner Bros., HBO, HBO Max, TNT, TBS and TruTV. This group will oversee all WarnerMedia television series and motion picture development, production and programming, partnering with Andy to ensure HBO Max is successful globally.

Casey Bloys, President HBO Programming, will also be taking on original content responsibilities for HBO Max and the domestic linear networks TNT, TBS, and TruTV. Casey will report to Ann. Casey and the HBO team have done an incredible job over the last several decades delighting consumers with HBO original programming and I am excited for Casey and this expanded team to have an even greater impact on the world.

The Warner Bros. Motion Pictures Group continues to be led by Chairman Toby Emmerich. Warner Bros. Television Studios group continues to be led by Chairman Peter Roth. Warner Bros. Interactive remains part of the Studios and Networks group, along with our Global Brands and Franchises team including DC led by Pam Lifford, and our Kids, Young Adults and Classics business led by Tom Ascheim, all focused on engaging fans with our brands and franchises through games and other interactive experiences.

Gerhard Zeiler, currently Chief Revenue Officer, will now be leading a newly integrated international group comprised of the international operations of Warner Bros., HBO and Turner Networks. This group will be responsible for local execution of all WarnerMedia linear businesses, commercial activities, and regional programming for HBO Max.

Tony Goncalves, CEO of Otter and a key leader of HBO Max, will lead the new commercial unit that combines the U.S. advertising sales and distribution groups with our home entertainment and content licensing so that all commercial activities are strategically managed across internal and external customers.

Christy Haubegger, Chief Enterprise Inclusion Officer, will now also oversee the global marketing and communications team including branding and corporate social responsibility, as we bring together all of our efforts around equity and inclusion throughout our business.

Jeff Zucker continues as Chairman of WarnerMedia News and Sports. Pascal Desroches (CFO), Rich Tom (CTO), Jim Cummings (CHRO), Priya Dogra (EVP, Strategy and Corporate Development) and Jim Meza (EVP, General Counsel) continue to report to me.

Simplifying our approach and narrowing our focus goes beyond, for example, having one content organization vs two. It also means that we will be reducing the size of our teams, our layers, and our overall workforce. These reductions are not in any way a reflection of the quality of the people impacted nor their work. It is simply a function of the above changes I believe are necessary for WarnerMedia and our collective ability to best serve customers. This is the part that is painful and very hard. It is difficult to find the appropriate words here to say other than that I am very sorry. These are talented, admired leaders and beloved colleagues.

Three of those talented, admired leaders who will be leaving the company are Bob Greenblatt, Kevin Reilly and Keith Cocozza. I want to thank Bob and Kevin for getting us to this point with the integration of HBO and the legacy Turner Networks and launch of HBO Max. It has been such an impressive sequence of events, and we are so much better for it. I also owe a tremendous amount of gratitude and thanks to Keith, for not only helping me navigate these last few months at the company – and with the media – but more importantly for his 19 years at the company through its evolution. I have never met a kinder, more collaborative executive in my career. I can’t wait to see how each of these leaders change the world in the years to come.

I realize this is a lot to take in. And none of us should expect the above changes to be easy. That said, we are successfully navigating a pandemic together and I know that, however challenging the above changes may be, we will also successfully navigate them as well. As each of you take some time to digest the above, I hope that you become more and more energized by how, together, we are boldly leaning into the future and this historic opportunity that is right in front of us. It is an honor to be on this team with each of you.

Jason

WarnerMedia Entertainment said it has promoted HBO EVP of Marketing Chris Spadaccini as chief marketing officer of WarnerMedia Entertainment, reporting to WME and direct-to-consumer chairman Bob Greenblatt.

In his new role, Spadaccini will be responsible for all marketing aspects of the new division, including HBO (linear networks, HBO Go and HBO Now), TBS, TNT, truTV, and all aspects of branding and content marketing for the upcoming WarnerMedia Direct-to-Consumer offering.

News of Spadaccini’s promotion comes on the heels of the announcement that TBS/TNT EVP and chief marketing officer Michael Engleman will leave after a brief transition period to pursue another opportunity. In a press release, Greenblatt thanked Engleman for his contribution to Turner.

“I’ve long been impressed with the quality and cutting-edge approach of the HBO marketing group overseen by Chris, and I was happy he was up for taking on our whole portfolio of linear networks and streaming platforms,” Greenblatt said in a press release. “In an environment where content volume is soaring everywhere, I’m confident that Chris — through his close working relationships with Casey Bloys at HBO and Kevin Reilly at the WarnerMedia networks and direct-to-consumer business — will make all our shows cut through the clutter.”

Spadaccini joined HBO in 1999, and during his tenure has overseen several of the brand’s most high-profile marketing campaigns, from Game of Thrones to Entourage and The Sopranos. In 2015, he led the marketing strategy for the launch of HBO’s streaming service, HBO Now.

“This is the definition of a dream job,” Spadaccini said in a press release. “I am thrilled and humbled by the opportunity that Bob presented to me, and I couldn’t be more excited to bring all of my experience to bear on behalf of the incredible brands and networks of WarnerMedia Entertainment. I’m looking forward to getting to know the great marketing teams at TNT, TBS and truTV, and leveraging the talent and resources across the entire organization to help launch our new direct-to-consumer offering.”

Prior to HBO, Spadaccini worked at VH1 from June 1997 to December 1998, and began his career at PMK/HBH in March 1996, where he helped develop national publicity campaigns for high profile celebrities and corporate clients in entertainment.

Spadaccini is currently a member of the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM); the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS); and One Club, a non-profit organization that promotes excellence in advertising and design.

AT&T has shuffled the executive ranks of its video business as it prepares to launch a new subscription streaming service next year under the WarnerMedia banner.

Former Showtime and NBCUniversal top executive Bob Greenblatt, who joined AT&T in March as head of the company’s entertainment and direct-to-consumer operations, will now be in charge of digital production unit Otter Media.

Otter produces digital platforms including Fullscreen, Crunchyroll and Rooster Teeth. And AT&T is looking to integrate these properties with its broader umbrella of WarnerMedia content. 

Veteran DirecTV entertainment executive Tony Goncalves, who has been serving as CEO of Otter, will now be in charge of developing the new WarnerMedia OTT platform, reporting to Greenblatt.

Also in the mix is Otter Media COO Andy Forrsell, the former Hulu CEO who joined the company in 2015. He’ll report to Goncalves.

Meanwhile, Brad Bentley, whose roots at DirecTV span two decades, will depart his role as executive VP and general manager of direct to consumer development.

Kevin Reilly, who serves as president of TBS, TNT and TruTV, as well as the top content exec for the new streaming service, will keep reporting to Greenblatt.

“As we continue to build out our new streaming business and realign WarnerMedia functions, this step will facilitate further scale and focus in our efforts to offer customers an engaging and compelling product experience,” said WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey in a statement. “I’m confident that with Tony and Andy leading our product and operations, Kevin and HBO’s Casey Bloys guiding our content strategy, and with Bob at the helm, we have a formidable team creating a curated streaming service with a winning combination of content and features. I also want to thank Brad for his leadership in bringing the project to this point in record time.”

NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt took shots at cable and defended his network’s programming Sunday at the TCA summer press tour.

“Cable has the advantage of doing shows that is darker, more interesting on some levels, go into subject matter that just feels cooler than some of the stuff we can do,” Greenblatt said, fielding a question during NBC’s executive session about the downward trend among the broadcast networks in Primetime Emmy nominations as cable networks and digital services continue to garner more nods. “It’s just a fact of life.”

Asked whether he would favor a change in Emmy rules to accommodate more broadcast series, Greenblatt—who was joined onstage by NBC Entertainment president Jennifer Salke and NBC Entertainment president, alternative and late night, Paul Telegdy—joked, “Let’s bring back the CableACE Awards.”

But the differences between broadcast and cable persisted as a recurring topic throughout the executive session. Greenblatt, the former president of Showtime Entertainment, bemoaned the lack of buzz around serial-killer drama Hannibal, versus a series like HBO’s True Detective, which is similar in tone.

“That’s a really good question, and I don’t know if I can answer it,” Greenblatt said, when asked why NBC can’t launch a show like True Detective. “Hannibal is, and I think most of the people in this room would agree, one of the best shows we have, creatively,” adding that it is also one of the best-reviewed series of his tenure at NBC. “If this were on a cable network, the small audience wouldn’t matter and it would be deemed more successful than it is on our network.” Broadcasters, Greenblatt said, face a unique challenge when it comes to the content they present. “The minute you try to do something that is dark and subversive and frightening and gets into that territory, you start to peel away the mass audience.”

Greenblatt was also asked about Starz CEO Chris Albrecht’s comments Friday at the press tour about new series needing to be given two or three seasons to establish themselves , and whether NBC could have given more time to The Michael J. Fox Show before pulling the plug last season.

“I think it’s great that cable chiefs are saying it takes a long time for a show to take root, because they declare their shows hits in the first season, whether or not they have an audience,” said Greenblatt, who spent seven years as president of entertainment at the premium programmer before joining NBC in 2010. He added, “I’d love to have the luxury of not really having to worry about what the ratings are, as is true in cable.”

Other highlights from the session included:

--Greenblatt said that he is looking at the presence of NBC’s Thursday Night Football this year as an opportunity to potentially introduce comedy audiences to new series such as A to Z and Marry Me. “CBS is not going to have their big comedy lineup from 8 to 10, which is really potent,” Greenblatt said. He added that he believes the new comedies will be aided by lead-in The Biggest Loser. “It isn’t just putting four comedies out there and holding our breath and hoping for the best.”

--“We used to just throw the shows on in the summer that we didn’t have much faith in,” Greenblatt said of the increase in summer programming, pointing to this season’s new series Night Shift and Undateable as examples of shows that would have been good enough to premiere at any time of year.

--At the beginning of his session, Greenblatt announced that Christopher Walken would play Captain Hook in the network’s Dec. 4 live production of Peter Pan. Speaking to a small group of reporters after the session, Greenblatt said that he is still looking for his Peter Pan. It’s not like we can film this person at any time,” Greenblatt said. “I need this person from Aug. 5 to Dec. 5. So that knocks out the Kristen Bells of the world, who is someone that I talked to about doing it, and she was interested, but she’s doing House of Lies, and she’s pregnant.” Greenblatt hen noted that he spoke to Bell about the role before she was pregnant.

--Telegdy was asked about Celebrity Apprentice, which has yet to be scheduled despite a new season having been announced. “We have produced a season of Celebrity Apprentice,” Telegdy said. “There is no news about when it is going to air.”

--Greenblatt was asked to offer advice to whomever succeeds the departed Kevin Reilly as network chief at competitor Fox. “If you’re doing two shows a year, you can handcraft them, you can be all over them, you can make sure that an episode doesn’t go out the door that isn’t as great as it possibly can be,” he said. “But when you’re doing 15 or 20 shows a year, the volume gets away from you. And you have to be okay with that.”