• Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019
Longtime HBO CEO exits in wake of AT&T acquisition
In a Thursday, May 11, 2017, file photo, HBO CEO Richard Plepler attends a screening of HBO's "The Wizard of Lies" at the Museum of Modern Art, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)
  • LOS ANGELES (AP)
  • --

HBO's longtime chief executive is leaving the cable channel, less than a year after AT&T acquired HBO's parent company.

In a memo to HBO staffers Thursday, Richard Plepler said it was the right time for him to leave. The memo was obtained by The Associated Press.

During Plepler's tenure with HBO, the premium channel fielded popular and award-winning series including "The Sopranos," ''Game of Thrones," ''Girls" and "Big Little Lies" and launched streaming platforms.

Last June, a federal judge approved AT&Ts merger with Time Warner, a deal worth more than $80 billion.

In his memo, Plepler said his decision came at an "inflection point" in the life of HBO. He said he expected the company to continue to thrive.

HBO declined comment on Plepler's departure or his successor.


MySHOOT Company Profiles