Considered one of Warner Bros Discovery’s prime TV executives, Channing Dungey, who’s Chairman and CEO, Warner Bros. Tv Group and U.S. Networks, has discovered herself straddling the 2 sides of the corporate that can change into separate entities subsequent yr: Streaming & Studios and World Networks.
Preempting hypothesis about her future, Dungey addressed the matter in an inner memo quickly after the WBD break up was introduced Monday morning, sources inform Deadline.
“Warner Bros Tv Group will change into a part of Streaming & Studios, and I’m thrilled that I’ll proceed to have the privilege of main WBTVG,” Dungey wrote within the memo, Deadline has realized.
Dungey is the highest-profile TV govt with twin tasks throughout the studio and cable networks. Considered one of her prime lieutenants, WBTV veteran Brett Paul, is in the same place in his position as President of WBTVG and Chief Working Officer of U.S. Networks.
There isn’t a readability on his future as of now, however sources point out Paul would additionally seemingly stick with Studios & Streaming because the chief dealmaker for Warner Bros TV and a key member of Dungey’s senior crew.
Not like Comcast’s spinoff of cable networks into Versant — a break up from NBCUniversal that has to untangle a long time of shared historical past and shut ties — the WBD separation is rather a lot simpler.
Following Discovery’s 2022 acquisition of WarnerMedia, all cable networks, together with WarnerMedia’s TNets, have been put beneath Kathleen Finch, Chairman and CEO, U.S. Networks, in a unit that has functioned largely independently from Warner Bros TV, HBO and streamer HBO Max.
It was not till Finch introduced her retirement on the finish of final yr that the road between divisions was crossed, with Dungey taking up Finch’s position and Paul including COO for U.S. Networks to his duties of WBTVG President.
There have been some joint programming initiatives since together with a run of The Pitt, WBTV’s drama sequence for Max, on TNT.
It’s unclear whether or not Dungey would get further tasks as she continues in her position as Chairman and CEO, Warner Bros. Tv Group post-split, which is also a query for Paul ought to he additionally stay in his WBTVG position as anticipated.
Moreover Dungey and Paul, there may be little govt overlap between the 2 soon-to-be stand-alone divisions as most operations, together with programming, finance, advertising and PR, have been stored separate.
Suzanna Makkos, who served as head of Unique Comedy & Animation at Max and Grownup Swim, left in January to change into head of comedy for ABC Leisure and Hulu Originals. There isn’t a longer a hybrid comedy position throughout each Max and Grownup Swim, a block on Cartoon Community, which shall be a part of the World Networks firm.
Additionally, David Leavy, longtime shut confidant to WBD Discovery David Zaslav, not too long ago departed as COO of CNN — one other World Networks model — to return to mother or father WBD. That might permit him to proceed to work for Zaslav, who has been named CEO of Studios & Streaming, with WBD CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels named CEO of World Networks.
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