Hulu announced Tuesday that CEO Mike Hopkins will be departing the company to take on the role of chairman at Sony Pictures Television.
Hopkins is leaving Hulu after serving as CEO since 2013 and leading the launch of the company’s live TV streaming offering. Randy Freer, President and COO of Fox Networks Group, will be taking over the CEO position at Hulu effective next Monday.
“Hulu is at the center of transformation in entertainment. Hulu’s management team and employees have positioned Hulu to be a leader in defining the future of content creation, distribution and monetization – all while putting the viewer first. I’d like to thank Hulu’s Board for this exciting opportunity,” Freer comments in a statement.
During Hopkins’ time at Hulu the company built up its original programming lineup, including The Handmaid’s Tale, which won an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series.
Hopkins is slated to start his new gig at SPT in late November, reporting to Tony Vinciquerra, the current chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment. Hopkins will be responsible for overseeing all TV production, distribution, and marketing operations globally for the studio, as well as SPE’s media networks business.
“I’ve known Mike for years and can think of no better person to lead our television businesses during a time of such extraordinary evolution and opportunity,” Vinciquerra says in a statement. “Mike is a proven and innovative leader who has played a key role in redefining today’s television landscape, both for consumers and for how content producers reach them. We are thrilled to have him at SPE to work alongside our deep bench of talent and lead our studio to even greater heights.”
The company says Hopkins’ appointment is part of a structural change in the current reporting lines of SPE’s TV business. Going forward, the heads of SPT’s domestic and international television production, distribution, advertiser sales and research, marketing, and Sony Pictures Worldwide Networks will now report to Hopkins, according to a release.
In addition to losing its previous chairman Steven Mosko, Sony Pictures Television also lost its two top TV executives Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg this year. Erlicht and Amburg joined Apple to help with the tech giant’s original programming efforts.
