Cheeks Names Skydance TV Leadership Team After Paramount-WBD Merger

Skydance TV co-chair and chief content officer George Cheeks has formalized his division's executive structure, naming Channing Dungey, David Stapf and Matt Thunell as his studio leadership trio in a memo to staff. The announcement sets out how Skydance TV will operate following the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger.

"Reporting to me, these accomplished leaders will work together to advance our strategy and help shape the next chapter of our division," Cheeks wrote.

The move confirms what had already been widely understood: Dungey, Warner Bros. TV Group and U.S. networks chairman/CEO; Stapf, CBS Studios president; and Thunell, Paramount TV Studios topper, would report to Cheeks. It had also been reported that Dungey, who took on overseeing the Warner Bros. Discovery networks a year ago, would add the Paramount cable networks to her portfolio.

Who runs what now?

Dungey continues to lead Warner Bros. Television Group and its portfolio of scripted, unscripted and animation studios. Warner Bros. TV Studios is home to the Emmy Award-winning series "The Pitt." Dungey will also oversee a combined Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery cable roster of more than 50 brands, including HGTV, Food Network, TNT, BET and MTV. For cable channels outside the U.S., she reports to Cheeks for programming and to JB Perrette for operations.

Stapf continues at CBS Studios, home to "NCIS," the world's #1 television franchise, including the newly launched "NCIS: New York," the #1 new series of the broadcast season. The studio also produces "Sheriff Country" and streaming series including "Little House on the Prairie" and "Murderbot." See It Now Studios will operate as a label within CBS Studios.

Thunell oversees Paramount Television Studios, whose franchises include "Reacher," its spin-off "Neagley" and the Taylor Sheridan universe spanning "Dutton Ranch," "Landman" and "Lioness" on Paramount+ and "Marshals" on CBS.

David Berson leads Skydance's Global Sports Group, covering the live sports portfolio led by CBS Sports, TNT Sports and WBD Sports. Combined sports rights for the new division include the NFL, UEFA Champions League, NHL, MLB, March Madness, the PGA Tour, The Masters, WNBA, NASCAR and college football, among others.

Skydance Sports Entertainment will sit within the Skydance TV Studios Group, with details to follow.

The wider bench

Amy Reisenbach continues as CBS Entertainment president. Cheeks' memo calls CBS a cornerstone of the multiplatform strategy and home to the most-watched primetime schedule on television, including this season's Rotten Tomatoes 100% Certified Fresh drama "Cupertino." Tom Cibrowski continues to oversee operations across CBS News' broadcast, streaming and digital businesses, leaning on his morning-television experience to bolster "CBS Mornings" and sustain ratings momentum at "CBS Evening News."

Byron Rubin (the memo spells his first name "Bryon") becomes chief operating officer, working with divisional leaders on strategic and operational matters while keeping his leadership of CBS' domestic syndication. He also expands his remit to include the CBS Television Stations group, working closely with division president Jennifer Mitchell, who adds a dotted reporting line into Cheeks and joins his Skydance TV senior leadership team.

Laurel Weir oversees research and programming insights across Skydance TV broadcast, cable and studios, and keeps her content strategy, scheduling and content acquisitions teams for the Paramount cable networks during integration planning. Mike Benson leads marketing across the portfolio, with a dotted line to Rebecca Mall, Skydance's chief marketing officer. Chris Ender oversees all communications and publicity, serving as Skydance TV's spokesperson, with a dotted line to chief communications officer Melissa Zukerman and supporting Perrette on business and operations topics.

What does this change for the merged company?

The structure clarifies reporting lines after the merger closed. Perrette, previously WBD's CEO/president of global streaming and games, serves alongside Cheeks as co-chair of Skydance TV and chief business officer, and holds the same roles for the Skydance DTC streaming division. Cheeks, formerly Paramount TV media chair and before that one of three co-CEOs of Paramount Global (previously ViacomCBS), was the only member of that triumvirate to move into the new company.

In an earlier memo after the deal closed, Cheeks laid out the divisional setup and framed the ambition: "This newly formed Skydance Television group is an unmatched mix of networks, studios, platforms and programming genres." He cited the three TV studios, the CBS broadcast network, CBS Sports, TNT Sports and Warner Bros. Discovery Sports, CBS News, CBS stations and the cable portfolio, adding that "the breadth and quality of programming across this group is unrivaled, spanning some of the most watched, most acclaimed and most award-winning in the industry."

Cheeks told staff that more structural information will follow: "We will continue to share more information when possible." The memo leaves the sports entertainment integration and further consolidation planning as the next open questions for the merged operation.