Warner Bros. has promoted Jay Levine to a newly created corporate post as executive vp television business strategy and digital services. Levine will report directly to Warner Bros. chairman and CEO Kevin Tsujihara on all matters related to television, and to the studio’s chief digital officer and executive vp strategy and business development, Thomas Gewecke, for the digital side of things.
In the new role, Levine will primarily oversee corporate planning for the continued growth and operational management of all businesses within the Warner Bros. Television Group, working closely with its senior leadership team. He will also join Tsujihara on the board of The CW Network, filling the studio’s second seat.
The news comes a month after Warner Bros. TV Group’s digital networks exec Craig Hunegs departed the company following his 20-year tenure at the studio.
In addition, Levine will oversee a portfolio of digital businesses, including DC Universe, the OTT service recently launched in partnership with DC Comics, and Warner Bros.’ interests in the Boomerang OTT service (which is a partnership with Turner Networks), Ellen Digital Networks (a partnership with Ellen DeGeneres) and Uninterrupted (a partnership with LeBron James and Maverick Carter). Levine will also lead various digital collaborations with the studio’s WarnerMedia sister companies HBO, Turner and Otter Media, and serve as a key member of the studio’s team, working with WarnerMedia on its recently announced direct-to-consumer OTT service.
“As content creation and distribution business models continue to evolve at breakneck speed, we’ll look to Jay in this new corporate role to have his eyes on the horizon for what’s next and how Warner Bros. can not only get ahead of the curve, but help define it,” said Tsujihara. “In his nearly 10 years with the Studio, he’s proven himself to be incredibly insightful, forward-focused and able to lead transformation across businesses. I know he’ll continue to make significant and important contributions to our future success.”
Prior to this promotion, Levine served as executive vice president of Warner Bros. Digital Networks. Before that, he was senior vp business and strategic planning and vp business planning at WBTVG. In these TV group roles, he was integral in the expansion of The CW through digital partnerships with Netflix and Hulu, the development of new linear and on-demand distribution windows for WBTVG series, the acquisition and growth of Alloy Entertainment across books, TV and film and the build-out of Blue Ribbon Content, WBTVG’s short-form programming production unit, as well as the creation of strategic partnerships that helped lead to the formation of Warner Bros. Digital Networks.
Before joining WBTVG in 2009, Levine worked at The Walt Disney Company in its corporate strategy and business development group and at ESPN.com.
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