BREAKING NEWS

HBO chairman, CEO and greenlighter of Game of Thrones Richard Plepler has announced his decision to step down. David Levy, president of Turner, is expected to announce his exit this morning, eight months after AT&T completed its acquisition of Time Warner.

“Hard as it is to think about leaving the company I love, and the people I love in it, it is the right time for me to do so,” Mr. Plepler wrote in a memo to colleagues yesterday. Plepler joined HBO in 1992, and has headed the premium cabler since 2013.

“Richard is one of the most successful executives in our industry and I have been fortunate to have his support over the last months," said John Stankey, WarnerMedia chief executive. “His vision, energy and passion helped to elevate HBO’s brand to what it has become today. Richard’s impact to our business and on the passionate viewers of HBO’s enduring programming will continue to be felt for years.”

AT&T has been in talks with Robert Greenblatt, former chairman of entertainment at NBC, for a role at WarnerMedia that could mean oversight of a new combined division that would include HBO and Turner, which in the past have operated autonomously, as well as a new streaming service. Stankey and Plepler have reportedly been discussing Plepler’s exit since early February.

David Levy joined Turner in 1986, and has served as president since 2013. In addition to overseeing networks including, among others, TNT, TBS, truTV, Cartoon Network and CNN, Levy has been a key part of the company’s lucrative involvement in sports.

HBO has also offered voluntary early retirement packages to some veteran employees, “in the interests of costs and operating efficiencies.”