A former Hulu executive has been hired by AT&T‘s WarnerMedia division to oversee the international rollout of the company’s blockbuster HBO Max streaming service.
The telephone company poached Johannes Larcher from MBC Group in Dubai where he oversaw the operation of Shahid, the Middle East’s biggest streaming service. Larcher has a wealth of experience working at numerous media companies, including the Disney-owned Hulu service where he facilitated the launch of a localized version in Japan.
Larcher will report to Gerhard Zeiler, WarnerMedia’s chief revenue officer and president of the division’s International Networks group. In a statement on Wednesday, Zeiler spoke warmly of his new deputy.
“I got to know Johannes as a passionate entrepreneur,” Zeiler said. “His leadership skills, together with his strong direct-to-consumer and digital experience, international business foundations and tech expertise give him the perfect background to drive the growth of HBO Max beyond the United States.”
One of Larcher’s first tasks will be to facilitate the launch of HBO Max in Latin America. The service is slated to go live there sometime next year.
Launched in late April, HBO Max is a streaming service that combines the premium cable network’s original programming and licensed movies with content from other libraries owned by AT&T.
