After 27 years, HBO President and COO Eric Kessler is leaving the company, CEO Richard Plepler told employees in an internal memo on Friday.
“After careful consideration we have decided that the COO position does not best serve the most effective management process at HBO,” Plepler wrote.
HBO will not fill the COO position as part of “executive streamlining.”
Two weeks ago, HBO Entertainment President Sue Naegle, the network’s top development exec, departed her post and will launch a production company. Michael Lombardo, HBO’s president of programming, remains.
During his run at HBO, Kessler oversaw some of the premium cable network’s most important innovations, including the launch of mobile service HBO Go. Kessler also is credited with coining HBO’s memorable tagline, “It’s not TV. It’s HBO,” while serving as the network’s executive VP of marketing from 1996-2002.
Plepler and Kessler each were promoted last year, with Pepler moving up to the CEO position in the wake of Bill Nelson’s retirement, and Kessler being named president and COO. Prior to that, Pepler and Kessler were co-presidents. Kessler is staying on for awhile to help transition his direct reports to Plepler.
Brief Take: It’s a rough time to have a top job at a major studio or network, many of which have been eliminating top management positions such as Kessler’s.
Read more: B&C, Variety, Deadline
Image: Courtesy of AllThingsD
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