Brett Bouttier Named Senior Vice President, Digital, Warner Bros. Television Group

Brett Bouttier has been promoted to the newly created position of Senior Vice President, Digital, Warner Bros. Television Group, it was announced today by Bruce Rosenblum, President, Warner Bros. Television Group. Based in Burbank, Bouttier will report to Craig Hunegs, Executive Vice President, Business Management, Warner Bros. Television Group, who, as part of his aegis, oversees all digital business for the Warner Bros. Television Group.

As each of WBTVG’s divisions expands its emphasis on the digital creation and exploitation of content, Bouttier will be responsible for the domestic digital distribution of WBTVG’s current, library and original digital content as well as the business execution for all of WBTVG’s new media initiatives. He will work closely with the WBTVG senior executive team and its divisional presidents in shaping the group’s overall digital content and U.S. distribution strategy, negotiating distribution arrangements with new media platforms and managing the strategy and business development of branded, interactive entertainment and social destinations for broadband and wireless.

The Warner Bros. Television Group is an innovative leader in developing new business models for the evolving television landscape, including ad-supported video-on-demand, broadband and wireless. WBTVG has digital distribution agreements in place with the domestic broadcast networks (representing an industry first for a major studio with unaffiliated networks), and in September 2006 formed Studio 2.0, a new advertiser-aligned, digital production venture producing original short-form programming for broadband and wireless. Yesterday (May 7), WBTVG announced it will launch two channels of programming, WBTV: SCI-FI FIX and WBTV: Before They Were Mega Stars, to Joost, the first broadcast-quality Internet television service. The deal marks the first time that WBTVG will launch Warner Bros.-branded channels online. Last month, WBTVG announced the establishment of a digital media sales unit devoted specifically to multiplatform domestic advertiser sales for both broadband and wireless.

Transactional video-on-demand and electronic sell-through of television product will continue to be handled by Warner Bros. Digital Distribution, part of the Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group. WBTVG and WBHEG are working in close collaboration to manage the transition to a digital marketplace for the Studio, its key partners and stakeholders.

“Each of our television divisions shares a common DNA – content. And, each of our television divisions is actively experimenting and participating in new digital opportunities for our content,” said Rosenblum. "Brett’s new role is a natural extension of all of our television businesses and will support and expand the domestic digital distribution efforts of each of our divisions. The combination of Brett’s skill, judgment and personality, as well as his ability to cohesively collaborate across all of our television divisions, will be integral to our digital success.

“With Michael Teicher leading our digital ad sales, Lisa Gregorian leading our digital marketing and creative efforts and, now, Brett leading our digital business execution, the Warner Bros. Television Group is well-positioned to move forward and effectively and efficiently manage our transition from analog to digital.”

“Brett has played a key role in our recent efforts to expand and evolve our digital business,” said Hunegs. “He understands new media distribution, marketing, sales and technology, he is a strategic thinker, and he has the proven ability to execute. These skills, his strong relationships inside and outside of the company and his collaborative style make him an important player for our TV Group and the ideal choice for this position.”

Bouttier moves up from his current role as Vice President, New Business & Sales Strategy for WBTVG’s Telepictures Productions. In that role, he has overseen a number of new media deals, including wireless agreements for many of Telepictures’ series; partner and product integration into series, notably a wide-ranging deal with The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Sprint; securing licensing deals for Ellen and Tyra with XM Satellite radio, and redesigning the websites for all of Telepictures’ series. Bouttier was also a key member of the team that launched and expanded TMZ.com, which has quickly become the number-one entertainment news destination on the Internet and this fall will expand to a daily television series.

Bouttier joined Telepictures in 2004 from NBC Universal Television, where he’d spent his entire professional career, most recently serving as Vice President, Cable Sales and Strategy. Prior to that, he held account executive/station sales positions in the Eastern, Midwestern and West Coast regions of the country. He joined Studios USA/Universal Television as a Research Analyst while a junior at UCLA.

Contact Info:
Scott Rowe
(818) 954-5806