George Cheeks has revealed his management team.
Cheeks, co-chairman and chief content officer of Skydance TV, named his top 10 executives from the company’s studios, entertainment, sports and news sectors.
This includes the creation of Skydance TV Studios, which will officially house the Warner Bros Television Group, led by Channing Dungey; CBS Studios, led by David Stapf; and Paramount Television Studios, led by Matt Thunell. On the CBS Studios side, See It Now Studios will operate as a label within the studio, similar to what the company did with BET Studios. Susan Zirinsky, president of See It Now Studios, reports to Stapf.
Skydance TV studios will also include Skydance Sports Entertainment. This comes after Jesse Sisgold, who was previously president and COO of Skydance Media and most recently led Paramount Sports Entertainment, revealed he was leaving the company.
David Berson will lead Skydance’s Global Sports Group, Amy Reisenbach will lead CBS Entertainment and Tom Cibrowski will lead news operations. As previously announced, CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss reports directly to Skydance co-CEOs David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz.
Bryon Rubin has been named COO and will expand his role to oversee the CBS Television Stations group, working with division president Jennifer Mitchell.
Laurel Weir will oversee research and programming insights across broadcast, cable and studios for Skydance TV. Mike Benson will lead marketing for the company’s entire portfolio. Chris Ender will oversee all communications and advertising.
These leaders all report directly to Cheeks.
“As we look to the future, our priorities are clear: delivering quality storytelling, maximizing the value of our programming, franchises and brands, and strengthening our connections with audiences,” Cheeks wrote in a memo seen by Deadline (read in full below). “The excellence and scale of our entertainment, news and sports businesses, combined with the talent and expertise of our organization, position us well for the future.”
Team,
As we look to the future, our priorities are clear: deliver quality storytelling, maximize the value of our programming, franchises and brands, and strengthen our connection with audiences. The excellence and scale of our entertainment, information and sports activities, combined with the talent and expertise of our organization, position us well for the future.
While each of us has a distinct role to play, our success will depend on working together at all levels, sharing our expertise and leveraging the full strength of our portfolio. I firmly believe that a collaborative culture drives strong creative and business results.
Today, I’m excited to announce the Skydance TV leadership team. Reporting to me, these accomplished leaders will work together to advance our strategy and help shape the next chapter of our division.
Skydance Television Studios
Channing Dungey will continue to lead the Warner Bros. group. Television and its portfolio of scripted, unscripted animation studios. Warner Bros. Television Studios home to the Emmy Award-winning series THE PITT and an impressive list of acclaimed series. She will also oversee the combined Paramount and Warner Bros. cable slate. Discovery of over 50 brands such as HGTV, Food Network, TNT, BET and MTV. For cable channels outside the United States, Channing will report to me for programming and to JB Perrette for operations.
David Stapf will continue to lead CBS Studioshome to NCIS, the world’s #1 television franchise, including the recently launched NCIS: NEW YORK, the #1 new series of the broadcast season. The studio also produces hits such as SHERIFF COUNTRY and popular streaming series like “Little House on the Prairie” and “Murderbot.” Watch now will operate as a label within CBS Studios.
Matt Thunell supervises Paramount Television Studioswhich hosts premium series for streaming and broadcast, with hit franchises including “Reacher”, its spin-off “Neagley” and the world of Taylor Sheridan which covers DUTTON RANCH, LANDMAN and LIONESS on Paramount+ and MARSHALS on CBS.
Skydance Sports Entertainment will be part of the Skydance TV Studios group with details to follow.
Global sports group
David Berson led Skydance’s Global Sports Groupwith oversight of our live sports portfolio, led by CBS Sports, TNT Sports and WBD Sports, across all platforms and in partnership with JB and the international team outside the United States. Combined sports rights for the new division include NFL, UEFA Champions League, NHL, MLB, March Madness, PGA Tour, Masters, WNBA, NASCAR and college football, among others.
Entertainment
Amy Reisenbach led CBS Entertainmentcornerstone of our multi-platform strategy and home to TV’s most-watched primetime program that consistently delivers the biggest new hits year after year – including this season’s Rotten Tomatoes 100% Certified Fresh drama, CUPERTINO.
News
Tom Cibrowski will continue to oversee operations through CBS News’ broadcast, streaming and digital businesses, while leveraging its deep experience in morning television to strengthen CBS MORNINGS, and maintain the audience dynamics of CBS EVENING NEWS.
Skydance TV
The following leaders will support our broader Skydance TV organization as we assemble and grow our group:
Bryon Rubin will be our Chief Operating Officer (COO) working with all divisional leaders on strategic and operational matters while maintaining his leadership of CBS national syndication. Bryon will expand his remit to include oversight of the CBS TV Channels group, working closely with division president Jennifer Mitchell, who will also have a dotted reporting line to me and be part of my Skydance TV SLT.
Laurel Weir will oversee research and programming insights across broadcast, cable and studios for Skydance TV. She will work closely with creative and marketing leaders across all domains to help shape our strategy through a deep understanding of audience insights and consumer trends. Laurel will continue to oversee her content strategy, content planning and acquisition teams for the Paramount Cable Networks while we work on integration planning.
Mike Benson will lead marketing across our entire portfolio, bringing together our talented teams to strengthen our brands, increase audience discovery, and curate and promote our programming launches across all forms of traditional and emerging media. Mike will have a dotted reporting line to Rebecca Mall, Director of Marketing at Skydance.
Chris Ender will oversee all communications and advertising. He will be the spokesperson for Skydance TV and lead the best communications teams in each division who will shape our narrative, elevate the brands and programming, and help define the voice of our combined group. Chris will have a dotted line of reporting to Melissa Zukerman, Skydance’s Director of Communications, and will support JB Perrette on all Skydance TV business and operational matters.
What happens next
I know many of you have questions about our structure and what comes next. We will continue to share more information when possible.
We are only at the beginning of this journey and process, but I am confident in the strength of this team and the extraordinary talents and capabilities of our company. As I said, the work to be done is important, as are the opportunities. Together, we will build on our strengths and shape an even stronger future.
Thank you for everything you do.
More to come.
George
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