UPDATE 1-Time Warner names Tsujihara CEO of Warner Bros. studio
Jan 28 (Reuters) - Time Warner Inc on Monday named digital technology expert Kevin Tsujihara chief executive of Warner Bros. Entertainment, the film studio behind the "Harry Potter" movie franchise and hit TV shows such as "The Big Bang Theory."
Tsujihara will begin the CEO job on March 1, Time Warner said in a statement. He will succeed Barry Meyer, who will stay with the company as chairman through 2013.
Since 2005, Tsujihara has served as president of the Warner Bros. home entertainment group, overseeing home video, digital distribution, video games and emerging technology.
The decision resolves the question of who will succeed Meyer, who is expected to retire after 14 years running the studio. Warner Bros. Television President Bruce Rosenblum and Warner Bros. Pictures President Jeff Robinov also had been in the running to replace Meyer.
"Obviously, I'm disappointed; who wouldn't be?" Rosenblum said in a statement shortly after Tsujihara's appointment was announced. "Warner Bros. is a unique and special place and I know it will be in good hands with Kevin at the helm," he said.
Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes called Tsujihara "one of the most effective and respected executives within Time Warner, and the right leader to ensure Warner Bros.' preeminence into the future."
Time Warner shares fell 0.4 percent to $50.20 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange.