The top executive in charge of technology and development of WarnerMedia’s HBO Max application resigned on Wednesday after spending nearly four years with the company.
Jason Press spent three years working as WarnerMedia’s head of direct-to-consumer technology and program management, a task that saw him oversee the development and launch of the company’s blockbuster streaming service HBO Max in the United States and in 60 overseas markets.
Press joined WarnerMedia from You.i TV, a software development company that provided enterprise-level solutions for television and media companies. He served as president of that company until December 2020, when WarnerMedia acquired You.i TV in order to help boost the development of HBO Max.
His departure comes amid a wave of executive resignations following WarnerMedia’s merger with Discovery earlier this year. The newly-formed Warner Bros Discovery has moved to consolidate overlapping divisions within the combined company, with former WarnerMedia executives and workers feeling the sting of layoffs the most.
In a note to colleagues posted on the website LinkedIn, Press said he was thankful for his time at WarnerMedia and congratulated the network for its successful launch of the “Game of Thrones” spin-off series “House of the Dragon,” which debuted on HBO last Sunday.
“I am filled with gratitude for the opportunity to have worked with so many extraordinary people,” Press wrote. “It was a true privilege. Each of you brought a unique level of talent and passion to our business; it was never more fully realized than in the cross-platform web and mobile app upgrades that came to fruition well ahead of Sunday’s premiere.”
Press did not say where he intends to land next, but wished his colleagues well. His resignation was not unexpected: Earlier this year, the trade publication Deadline Hollywood said Press would be one of several key WarnerMedia executives to receive a pink slip after Warner Bros Discovery re-structured its streaming management roster. The other executives named by Deadline Hollywood include Johannes Larcher, the general manager of international streaming, and Sarah Lyons, the executive Vice President in charge of product.
Press’ departure comes less than a month after executives at Warner Bros Discovery announced plans to fully scrap HBO Max and its other flagship streaming service, Discovery Plus, by next year. In place of both services, a new streaming experience is being developed that will merge the Warner Bros and Discovery libraries. Titles from HBO as well as other networks like CNN, the Discovery Channel, HGTV and CNN are expected to be part of the new service, which has yet to be named.
