Warner Media is planning to energise its India operations through HBO Max, and is hoping to expand its business by leveraging the strength of the platform.
However, Warner Media International Networks president and chief revenue officer Gerhard Zeiler stated at the APOS2020, that the company’s not going to expand its business footprint in the country anytime soon.
He said: “We have a strong kids’ business in Turner [in India]. Warner Bros is a strong distributor of content, and the content of HBO has mostly been sold to licensing partners. But this is not where we want to be in five years.” Turner owns POGO and Cartoon Network channels in the Indian kids TV ecosystem.
He further added that HBO Max will be the big driver going forward in the country. “We have our work cut out in the market. But you will hear more about HBO Max in the next months or next year. It’s going to be our workhorse going forward,” noted he.
A couple of months ago, Priya Dogra was named as WarnerMedia Entertainment Networks, EMEA and APAC region president, taking over from Giorgio Stock, who left in June. She was given this additional responsibility to her previous role as the executive vice president of strategy and corporate development. Dogra directly reports to Zeiler.