Warner Bros. Consolidates Digital Sales
Christopher Lindquist tapped to lead new entertainment group
Warner Bros. is consolidating its digital sales operations as it looks to build out an entertainment-focused ad powerhouse on the Web.
The company plans to announce the formation of the Warner Bros. Digital Entertainment Group, which will encompass a host of properties ranging from TMZ.com to EllenTV.com to DCComics.com. Previously, those three sites would be sold by three different divisions—making it challenging for buyers and difficult for Warner to achieve real corporate synergy. But the hope going forward is to create one-stop-shopping for brands looking for well-lit scale.
Christopher Lindquist has been tapped to lead sales for group, serving in the new role of svp of national sales. The industry veteran was most recently vp of Eastern sales for Warner Bros. Digital Media. Under Lindquist's new purview will be display and video ad offerings for a dozen-plus sites, including Flixster.com, RottenTomatoes.com, VertigoComics.com, MADMagazine.com, TooFab.com, ExtraTV.com, AlloyEntertainment.com and KidsWB.com.
“Think of this as a boutique, premium ad network,” said Lindquist. “When advertisers want to reach entertainment lovers, they should think of us near the top of the list.”
According to officials, the new Digital Entertainment Group reaches in aggregate 43 million unique users per month. In addition, Lindquist noted that several properties have major social media followings that remain untapped; for example, DC Comic’s iconic characters Batman and Superman boast of 12 million Facebook fans between them.
