Sony Pictures Television Chairman Mike Hopkins will exit the studio and lead Amazon’s video entertainment business, including Amazon Studios. Amazon Studios head Jen Salke will now report to Hopkins, who will report directly to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Hopkins had been with Sony since 2017, following four years with Hulu.
Hopkins is leaving the streaming platform and moving to Sony Pictures Television, where he will fill the chairman role vacated by Steve Mosko. Randy Freer, who currently serves on the Hulu board, and has been president-COO of the Fox Networks Group since 2013, will take over as CEO at Hulu.
Hulu CEO Mike Hopkins says his service’s bid for an Emmy via “The Handmaid’s Tale” could help draw new subscribers and hold on to current ones. Hulu will spend about $2.5 billion on content this year, part of an arms race that includes fellow streaming services Netflix and Amazon.
Hulu Aims To Deliver What You Want To Watch
Mike Hopkins, Hulu’s chief executive, confirmed Hulu’s plans to create an offering of both live and recorded programming from a streamlined bundle of broadcast and cable channels. The initiative is part of a push by Hulu and its three corporate owners — 21st Century Fox, the Walt Disney Co. and NBCUniversal — to rethink how TV companies approach the future. He talks about a streamlined bundle of broadcast and cable channels and other plans in the works.
Hulu expects to post $1 billion in revenue in 2013, up from $695 million a year ago, the streaming media enterprise’s new CEO said in a blog post on Wednesday. Chief executive Mike Hopkins also said that Hulu will double its efforts to obtain original content.
Exclusives
Mike Hopkins, a Hulu board director since 2011 and Fox executive since 2008, was named CEO of the online video venture. Hopkins will succeed Andy Forssell, who had been acting CEO since Jason Kilar left the company in March.
Hulu is close to naming Fox executive Mike Hopkins as its chief executive officer, two people with knowledge of the matter said. The appointment is expected to be announced shortly, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are private. Hopkins, president of distribution for Fox Networks, would succeed Andy Forssell, acting CEO of the Internet service.
Fox On Retrans: Ditching Affils ‘Last Resort’
Fox network distribution chief Mike Hopkins says his network hopes it “can get through the [affiliate negotiation] process and get deals done with everybody we have today.” But, as it’s shown recently, it will switch affiliation if it can’t reach a deal. He added that the network’s demands on its affiliates stem from the realization that the “value equation” between network and affiliate had shifted and the network had wound up on the short end.
The network sent a letter to the individual affiliates saying it has made no progress negotiating a retrans sharing deal with the affiliate board. So now it wants to negotiate with the stations individually, adding that if a station doesn’t agree with its demands for a cut of their retrans dollars “Fox will have to pursue different distribution channels to receive fair value for our programming and continue to serve our viewers.” Affiliate board Chairman Brian Brady counters that Fox has failed to negotiate in good faith and is engaged in a “divide-and-conquer” strategy.
