Outgoing Warner Bros. Discovery Executive Urges Industry to Move Beyond "Cable"
As Kathleen Finch prepares to step down as head of U.S. networks for Warner Bros. Discovery, she’s leaving behind a piece of advice for her peers: "Stop using the word ‘cable.’" Finch delivered this message during a keynote speech at Content London, arguing that the industry needs to embrace a broader view of content creation and distribution.
"What we do is content," Finch emphasized, "and where it’s viewed is where the audience chooses to find it," whether that’s through traditional cable platforms or streaming services like Max.
Having overseen a vast portfolio of networks, including HGTV, TLC, Food Network, TBS, TNT, TruTV, and Cartoon Network/Adult Swim, Finch has witnessed firsthand the evolving media landscape. ““I don’t consider myself a cable exec,” she said, "but instead a creative. We make content — where it goes is almost out of our hands,” she stated.
Finch acknowledges that cable isn’t vanishing overnight. "Is the cable business going to grow? No…" she said, "…it’s not going to go away in the near future. It’s slowing, but not dead.”
However, she believes that focusing solely on cable limits opportunities. She pointed to TLC’s "90 Day Fiancé" as an example of content finding new life on streaming platforms. "They’ll be watched in huge numbers on the linear platform by a slightly older audience, and then it’s on Max, and suddenly a lot of 30-year-olds who don’t have cable are being exposed to it," Finch explained. "So what we’re getting is the opportunity to build a brand new audience that is just as passionate as the cable audience."
Finch, who will be succeeded by Warner Bros. Television group chairman and CEO Channing Dungey, sees her departure as a natural progression. “It’s been the longest goodbye ever,” she chuckled, adding that Dungey is "terrific and she’s going to be great at this job, in addition to her regular day job running Warner Bros. Television.”
As Finch moves on, her message resonates: the future of content lies in embracing fluidity and meeting audiences wherever they are. The industry must adapt and evolve, leaving behind outdated terms and embracing the dynamic world of content creation.
