“Welcome to the beginning of the end,” a voiceover echoed through Radio City Music Hall in New York, as a live organist performed the Game of Thrones theme song.

Holding court amid the media executives and socialites gathered this month to celebrate the final run of the most popular television show in history was Richard Plepler, the HBO chief who transformed the flagging cable channel into a powerhouse that ushered in a golden age of television.

Financial Times