Latest news with #WBTVG
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Channing Dungey to Remain With Warner Bros. Discovery Studios and Streaming Post-Split
Channing Dungey, the chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Television Group and Warner Bros. Discovery's U.S. Networks, is set to remain with the Studios & Streaming business following its separation from the media giant's Global Networks business, which is expected to take place in mid-2026. 'Warner Bros Television Group will become part of Streaming & Studios, and I'm thrilled that I will continue to have the privilege of leading WBTVG,' the executive said in a memo to employees on Monday. As head of Warner Bros. Television Group, Dungey oversees WBTV as well as its unscripted television division, which includes the Warner Horizon, Telepictures, and Shed Media labels. Dungey also has oversight of animated production from Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios, and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe. As of March, WBTVG's divisions were producing more than 80 projects for nearly 20 platforms, including HBO, Max, U.S. Networks, external streaming services, the broadcast networks and local stations. Notable series include 'Ted Lasso,' 'Abbott Elementary', 'All American,' 'The Bachelor' franchise, 'Batman: Caped Crusader,' 'Creature Commandos,' 'Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage,' 'Harley Quinn,' 'Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking,' 'The Jennifer Hudson Show,' 'The Penguin,' 'The Pitt,' 'Presumed Innocent,' 'Running Point,' 'Shrinking,' 'Teen Titans Go!,' 'The Voice,' 'You,' and many more. Following the retirement of Kathleen Finch at the end of 2024, Dungey officially took over the role as U.S. Networks head, giving her additional oversight of Discovery Channel, Food Network, HGTV, Investigation Discovery, TLC, Adult Swim, Animal Planet, Cartoon Network, Cooking Channel, HLN, OWN, Science Channel, TBS, TNT, Travel Channel, truTV, and Turner Classic Movies. Also currently leading the U.S. Networks division with Dungey are chief operating officer Brett Paul, chief creative officer Howard Lee, chief financial and strategy officer Susan Kolar, who has been named chief financial and strategy officer and global chief marketing officer Karen Bronzo. In addition to WBTV, the Studios & Streaming business will include Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, DC Studios, HBO and HBO Max, Warner Bros. Games, Tours, Retail and Experiences, as well as studio production facilities in Burbank and Leavesden. Executives have said that the streaming business is on track to generate at least $1.3 billion in profit by the end of 2025 and reach at least 150 million streaming subscribers by the end of 2026, which it plans to achieve through a combination of expanding Max internationally, strategic distribution partnerships and driving higher penetration of its ad-supported tier. Meanwhile, the studios business is targeting at least $3 billion in annual profit, with a specific timeline for achieving that unclear. Global Networks will include CNN, TNT Sports in the U.S., Discovery, top free-to-air channels across Europe, Discovery+ and Bleacher Report (B/R). It will retain a 20% stake in the studios and streaming business to help the company deleverage and is expected to take the majority of WBD's roughly $37 billion in gross debt. The post Channing Dungey to Remain With Warner Bros. Discovery Studios and Streaming Post-Split appeared first on TheWrap.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Channing Dungey To Remain With Studios & Streaming Post-WBD Split; Few Executives With Dual Responsibilities Make For Clean Break
One of Warner Bros Discovery's top TV executives, Channing Dungey, who is Chairman and CEO, Warner Bros. Television Group and U.S. Networks, has found herself straddling the two sides of the company that will become separate entities next year: Streaming & Studios and Global Networks. Pre-empting speculation about her future, Dungey addressed the matter in an internal memo soon after the WBD split was announced Monday morning, sources tell Deadline. More from Deadline Warner Bros Discovery To Split Into Two Companies, Streaming & Studios And Global Networks WBD's David Zaslav, Gunnar Wiedenfels Break Down Split That Will See Standalone Companies 'Free And Clear' For M&A Warner Bros Discovery Initiates More Layoffs In Cable TV Divisions 'Warner Bros Television Group will become part of Streaming & Studios, and I'm thrilled that I will continue to have the privilege of leading WBTVG,' Dungey wrote in the memo, Deadline has learned. Dungey is the highest-profile TV executive with dual responsibilities across the studio and cable networks. One of her top lieutenants, WBTV veteran Brett Paul, is in a similar position in his role as President of WBTVG and Chief Operating Officer of U.S. Networks. There is no clarity on his future as of now, but sources indicate Paul would also likely stay with Studios & Streaming as the chief dealmaker for Warner Bros TV and a key member of Dungey's senior team. Unlike Comcast's spinoff of cable networks into Versant — a split from NBCUniversal that has to untangle decades of shared history and close ties — the WBD separation is a lot less complicated. Following Discovery's 2022 acquisition of WarnerMedia, all cable networks, including WarnerMedia's TNets, were put under 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 until Finch announced her retirement at the end of last year that the line between divisions was crossed, with Dungey taking over Finch's role and Paul adding COO for U.S. Networks to his duties of WBTVG President. There have been some joint programming initiatives since including a run of The Pitt, WBTV's drama series for Max, on TNT. It is unclear whether Dungey would get additional responsibilities as she continues in her role as Chairman and CEO, Warner Bros. Television Group post-split, which also is a question for Paul should he also remain in his WBTVG role as expected. Besides Dungey and Paul, there is little executive overlap between the two soon-to-be stand-alone divisions as most operations, including programming, finance, marketing and PR, have been kept separate. Suzanna Makkos, who served as head of Original Comedy & Animation at Max and Adult Swim, left in January to become head of comedy for ABC Entertainment and Hulu Originals. There is no longer a hybrid comedy role across both Max and Adult Swim, a block on Cartoon Network, which will be part of the Global Networks company. Also, David Leavy, longtime close confidant to WBD Discovery David Zaslav, recently departed as COO of CNN — another Global Networks brand — to return to parent WBD. That would allow him to continue to work for Zaslav, who has been named CEO of Studios & Streaming, with WBD CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels named CEO of Global Networks. Best of Deadline Sean 'Diddy' Combs Sex-Trafficking Trial Updates: Cassie Ventura's Testimony, $10M Hotel Settlement, Drugs, Violence, & The Feds A Full Timeline Of Blake Lively & Justin Baldoni's 'It Ends With Us' Feud In Court, Online & In The Media Where To Watch All The 'John Wick' Movies: Streamers That Have All Four Films
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Channing Dungey To Remain With Studios & Streaming Post-WBD Split; Few Executives With Dual Responsibilities Make For Clean Break
One of Warner Bros Discovery's top TV executives, Channing Dungey, who is Chairman and CEO, Warner Bros. Television Group and U.S. Networks, has found herself straddling the two sides of the company that will become separate entities next year: Streaming & Studios and Global Networks. Preempting speculation about her future, Dungey addressed the matter in an internal memo soon after the WBD split was announced Monday morning, sources tell Deadline. More from Deadline Warner Bros Discovery To Split Into Two Companies, Streaming & Studios And Global Networks WBD's David Zaslav, Gunnar Wiedenfels Break Down Split That Will See Standalone Companies 'Free And Clear' For M&A Warner Bros Discovery Initiates More Layoffs In Cable TV Divisions 'Warner Bros Television Group will become part of Streaming & Studios, and I'm thrilled that I will continue to have the privilege of leading WBTVG,' Dungey wrote in the memo, Deadline has learned. Dungey is the highest-profile TV executive with dual responsibilities across the studio and cable networks. One of her top lieutenants, WBTV veteran Brett Paul, is in a similar position in his role as President of WBTVG and Chief Operating Officer of U.S. Networks. There is no clarity on his future as of now, but sources indicate Paul would also likely stay with Studios & Streaming as the chief dealmaker for Warner Bros TV and a key member of Dungey's senior team. Unlike Comcast's spinoff of cable networks into Versant — a split from NBCUniversal that has to untangle decades of shared history and close ties — the WBD separation is a lot less complicated. Following Discovery's 2022 acquisition of WarnerMedia, all cable networks, including WarnerMedia's TNets, were put under 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 until Finch announced her retirement at the end of last year that the line between divisions was crossed, with Dungey taking over Finch's role and Paul adding COO for U.S. Networks to his duties of WBTVG President. There have been some joint programming initiatives since including a run of The Pitt, WBTV's drama series for Max, on TNT. It is unclear whether Dungey would get additional responsibilities as she continues in her role as Chairman and CEO, Warner Bros. Television Group post-split, which also is a question for Paul should he also remain in his WBTVG role as expected. Besides Dungey and Paul, there is little executive overlap between the two soon-to-be stand-alone divisions as most operations, including programming, finance, marketing and PR, have been kept separate. Suzanna Makkos, who served as head of Original Comedy & Animation at Max and Adult Swim, left in January to become head of comedy for ABC Entertainment and Hulu Originals. There is no longer a hybrid comedy role across both Max and Adult Swim, a block on Cartoon Network, which will be part of the Global Networks company. Also, David Leavy, longtime close confidant to WBD Discovery David Zaslav, recently departed as COO of CNN — another Global Networks brand — to return to parent WBD. That would allow him to continue to work for Zaslav, who has been named CEO of Studios & Streaming, with WBD CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels named CEO of Global Networks. Best of Deadline Sean 'Diddy' Combs Sex-Trafficking Trial Updates: Cassie Ventura's Testimony, $10M Hotel Settlement, Drugs, Violence, & The Feds A Full Timeline Of Blake Lively & Justin Baldoni's 'It Ends With Us' Feud In Court, Online & In The Media Where To Watch All The 'John Wick' Movies: Streamers That Have All Four Films
