Pursuits

Amid Hunt for Next ‘Thrones,’ Time Warner CEO Charts TV’s Future

Even great shows need help getting discovered, says CEO Bewkes
Hulu stake is media giant’s latest appeal to cord-cutters

A White Walker, from the HBO's Game of Thrones.
Photographer: Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images

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By Gerry Smith

August 4, 2016 at 9:00 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Few media executives have embraced television’s digital future more than Jeff Bewkes. The chief executive officer of media giant Time Warner Inc. was an early promoter of making shows available anytime on any device. He’s started selling HBO to cord-cutters who don’t pay for cable. And this week, Time Warner bought a 10 percent stake in Hulu LLC, helping the online video service compete with the likes of Netflix Inc. and Comcast Corp.

Seated in a Time Warner Center conference room overlooking Manhattan’s Central Park last month, Bewkes said his company is well-positioned for a shifting landscape that’s no longer just about making shows and movies but also about finding the most profitable way to sell them.