Richard Plepler

Richard Plepler is Chairman and CEO of Home Box Office, Inc., responsible for the overall management of the world’s most successful pay TV service, which provides the two television networks – HBO and Cinemax – to over 131 million subscribers in over 60 countries and its programming into over 180 territories. He was named to this position in January 2013.

Under his leadership, HBO’s original productions continue to raise the bar with some of the most innovative, honored and critically respected programming on television. This was recognized with a record 43 Primetime Emmys in 2015, the most of any network in 43 years. The series programming has also set numerous records for the network —True Detective, which debuted in early 2014, became the most-watched freshman series in HBO’s history. Now in its sixth season, Game of Thronesis a global juggernaut, watched by over 20 million viewers per episode in the U.S. alone and stand as HBO’s most popular series ever. The debut of Ballers in 2015 was the most watched comedy in over six years with more than 9 million viewers.

As co-president from 2007 to 2012, Plepler, in partnership with Michael Lombardo, president, HBO Programming, greenlit some of HBO’s most a successful series includingTrue Blood, Boardwalk Empire, The Newsroom and Game of Thrones, as well as first season Emmy® Award-winners Girls and Veep. Additional award-winning programs include the miniseries Mildred Pierce, starring Kate Winslet, and The Pacific; HBO Films’ Behind the Candelabra, Too Big to Failand Game Change. Plepler and Lombardo also shepherded Cinemax’s first foray into primetime originals with the popular action series Strike Back.