B U S I N E S S
16
Edited by
James E. Ellis○ It’s amassed a huge media
business, but an entertainment
brain drain worries a big investorNot long ago, an AT&T Inc. executive named Brad
Bentley had a novel idea for HBO. Over the years
the premium TV network had explored just about
every edgy storytelling topic, whether it was the
suburban mob bosses of The Sopranos or the inces-
tuous and dragon-riding public servants of Game
of Thrones. But Bentley, according to a person
familiar with the matter, told network executives
in a meeting that the moment had finally comefor HBO to expose its millions of subscribers to
the one thing that had remained taboo during its
46-year history: commercials.
The suggestion didn’t go over well. HBO execu-
tives were stunned at the idea of larding down the
network’s prestigious programming with ads, no
matter how much money it could generate, and
pushed back forcefully. “We will never carry ads
on HBO,” a company spokesman said.
Bentley, who didn’t respond to a request for
comment, left AT&T earlier this year. Yet it’s the
string of longtime Time Warner entertainment
executives who’ve departed since AT&T acquired
the media company for $109 billion last year that
has some investors concerned—especially as theBloomberg Businessweek October 7, 2019Maybe AT&T
Isn’t Ready for Its
Close-Up