LOS ANGELES â€" Kevin Tsujihara will succeed Barry Meyer as chief executive of Warner Brothers, Hollywood’s biggest movie and television studio, starting March 1, ending a high-profile and lingering competition for the job.
Mr. Meyer, who has led the studio since 1999, was expected to retire two years ago, but stayed on while a trio of executives were considered for his job. With the selection of Mr. Tsujihara, who has most recently lead Warner’s home entertainment unit, the question now becomes whether the other two candidates - Bruce Rosenblum, Warner’s television chief, and Jeff Robinov, who heads the movie division - will remain at the company.
Mr. Rosenblum, who was widely considered by Hollywood insiders to be the leading candidate to replace Mr. Meyer, immediately released a statement on Monday morning. “Obviously, I’m disappointed; who wouldn’t be†it read in part. He added that Warner “will be in good hands with Kevin.â€
Mr. Tsujihara brings “the perfect cobination of strategic thinking, financial discipline, digital vision and management style†Jeff Bewkes, chairman and chief executive of Time Warner, which owns the studio, said in his own statement.
