Raising the Stakes In TV's Talent Wars

摘要

Peter Roth knew it was time to take out his checkbook. Roth, the head of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.'s TV studio, had just watched Netflix Inc. lure top producers from several rivals by offering them more money than they'd ever made before. Ryan Murphy, the creator of American Horror Story, left 2lst Century Fox Inc. for a deal worth at least $240 million. Shonda Rhimes, the showrunner of Grey's Anatomy, left Walt Disney Co. for at least $150 million. Roth was determined not to let Greg Berlanti, one of his own star producers, do the same. The prolific Berlanti has 15 shows on the air, the most of any TV producer in history, including several adaptations of DC Comics franchises such as Supergirl and Arrow that appeal to tweens and young women. He's particularly valuable toWarner Bros., which owns DC as well as half of the CW Television Network, where many of its shows air. Of the 12 series that will run in prime time on the CW this fall, Berlanti is an executive producer of seven.