Melber, Battleman get new posts in reorganization

Michael Quigley, executive VP, content acquisitions at WarnerMedia Entertainment, has been put in charge of an integrated acquisition group at the company.

As part of the reorganization, Quigley will oversee acquisitions for both the company’s direct to consumer business as well as its entertainment networks.

In the new structure, Jonathan Melber was named senior VP, content acquisition for HBO Max, and Royce Battleman will be senior VP, content acquisition primarily for HBO, Cinemax, TNT, TBS and truTV.

Both Battleman and Melber report to Quigley.

“Michael and his team have the breadth and depth of experience required in today’s competitive marketplace to both land defining content and rewrite our rules for how content will move through all exhibition windows going forward,” said Kevin Reilly, chief content officer for HBO Max and president, TNT, TBS and truTV, who announced the changes. “Because of their hard work, HBO Max will feature iconic hits like Friends, South Park and Doctor Who and our networks will continue to have hit series like The Big Bang Theory, as well as many of the most coveted major studio blockbusters, such as Joker and Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.”

Since joining the HBO Max a year ago, Melber has managed the acquisitions of Friends, South Park and Doctor Who, as well as The CW output deal and the first-ever streaming deal with Studio Ghibli. Before HBO Max, Melber ran outbound licensing for the Turner networks (Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, CNN, HLN, TBS, TNT and truTV). Previously, Melber spent several years on Hulu’s content acquisition team.

Most recently, Battleman has served as an advisor to the HBO Now and HBO Max product and distribution teams.

Battleman began in Business Affairs at HBO, where she played an instrumental role in negotiating the network’s modern major studio agreements and supported the rollout of HBO’s worldwide licensing businesses, including the network’s earliest international output deals, its domestic syndication deals for hit shows such as The Sopranos and Sex and the City, and the international expansion of HBO’s home entertainment transactional business.

Rounding out the content acquisitions team are veteran Turner executive Valerie Meraz, who will report to Battleman, along with Chris Grunden and Leslie Cohen, who will add film acquisitions for HBO Max to their current HBO responsibilities. Acquisitions executive Liz Bannan Atcheson, from Turner, will continue her work on acquisitions for HBO Max, reporting to Melber.