Amazon’s media chief Jeff Blackburn to retire

(Reuters) -Amazon.com Inc’s top media executive Jeff Blackburn plans to retire at the start of 2023, the e-commerce giant said on Friday.

The company said that the media and entertainment businesses, led by Blackburn since May last year, will be overseen by two current executives, Mike Hopkins and Steve Boom, who will report directly to Chief Executive Officer Andy Jassy.

The businesses include Prime Video, Amazon Studios, Music, Audible, Games, and Twitch.

Blackburn, who also served as senior vice president at Amazon, joined Amazon in 1998 and guided the company through its initial public offering prospectus at Deutsche Bank.

He left Amazon briefly in February 2021, before returning again in May 2021.

“I’ve decided to spend 2023 differently, giving more time to family, and feel strongly this is the right decision for me,” said Blackburn.

Over the past year and a half, Blackburn was a key figure behind the success of shows like “Rings of Power” as well as the acquisition of movie studio MGM this year, said Amazon.

(Reporting by Tiyashi Datta in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri and Shailesh Kuber)