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Skydance TV Structure Reveals Cheeks as Paramount-Warner Bros. TV Chief
Confirmed
In Short: Deadline and Variety agree that Cheeks will oversee all TV studios in the merged entity, though Variety notes the final structure is not yet confirmed.
Deadline reports that George Cheeks, currently the Chair of TV Media at Paramount, will take on an expanded role overseeing Warner Bros. Television, CBS Studios, and Paramount TV Studios post-merger.
Cheeks' expanded role is part of a broader restructuring that includes Casey Bloys overseeing HBO Max and Paramount+.
Warner Bros. Television, known for hits like 'Friends,' 'ER,' and 'The Big Bang Theory,' has shifted focus towards streaming and away from traditional broadcast networks in recent years.
CBS Studios, a major supplier to CBS, is noted for its involvement in 'Star Trek' and other popular series.
Paramount TV Studios, under Dana Goldberg, has a significant slate including Taylor Sheridan's projects.
Deadline and Variety both report that Cheeks will oversee all TV holdings, though Variety notes that this is not yet confirmed.
Cheeks' role will also include some oversight of cable brands from the Warner Bros. Discovery side.
The merger aims to streamline operations, with potential future consolidation of the three TV studios.
Disney took six years to fully merge its three TV studios after acquiring Fox assets.
Questions remain about the role of Channing Dungey at Warner Bros. Television and whether she will report to Cheeks.
Deadline and Variety agree that Cheeks will oversee all TV studios in the merged entity, though Variety notes the final structure is not yet confirmed.
The conclusion is that George Cheeks will oversee all three TV studios in the newly merged entity, with potential future consolidation.
What this adds
The exact details of Cheeks' expanded role and the future consolidation plans are still being finalized and will be announced next week.
The role of Channing Dungey at Warner Bros. Television remains uncertain, with questions about whether she will report to Cheeks or have a direct report to the CEOs.
Background
Warner Bros. is a brand name that has been used by several multinational mass media and entertainment companies and corporations, mostly based in the United States, with attributions to Warner Bros. Pictures, a major American film studio founded on April 4, 1923, and the original namesake.
What's confirmed
- Deadline reports that George Cheeks, currently the Chair of TV Media at Paramount, will take on an expanded role overseeing Warner Bros. Television, CBS Studios, and Paramount TV Studios post-merger.
- Cheeks' expanded role is part of a broader restructuring that includes Casey Bloys overseeing HBO Max and Paramount+.
- Warner Bros. Television, known for hits like 'Friends,' 'ER,' and 'The Big Bang Theory,' has shifted focus towards streaming and away from traditional broadcast networks in recent years.
- CBS Studios, a major supplier to CBS, is noted for its involvement in 'Star Trek' and other popular series.
- Paramount TV Studios, under Dana Goldberg, has a significant slate including Taylor Sheridan's projects.
- Deadline and Variety both report that Cheeks will oversee all TV holdings, though Variety notes that this is not yet confirmed.
- Cheeks' role will also include some oversight of cable brands from the Warner Bros. Discovery side.
- The merger aims to streamline operations, with potential future consolidation of the three TV studios.
- Disney took six years to fully merge its three TV studios after acquiring Fox assets.
- Questions remain about the role of Channing Dungey at Warner Bros. Television and whether she will report to Cheeks.
- Deadline and Variety agree that Cheeks will oversee all TV studios in the merged entity, though Variety notes the final structure is not yet confirmed.
- The conclusion is that George Cheeks will oversee all three TV studios in the newly merged entity, with potential future consolidation.
What's still developing
- More elements of the proposed post-WBD merger Skydance ‘s executive structure are coming into focus ahead of the Paramount-Warner Bros Discovery transaction closing on Tuesday.
- They each have been tasked with mining the IP of their sister film studios (which explained Goldberg’s oversight of PTVS) and have been main suppliers to their sibling streamers HBO Max and Paramount+, respectively.
- Over the past couple of years, Warner Bros Television, historically the largest independent TV studio that produced Friends, ER and The Big Bang Theory, has pulled away from developing for broadcast where it still has hit shows in ABC’s Abbott Elementary and CBS’ Big Bang spinoff Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage and Fox’s sophomore drama Memory of a Killer.
- As Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg are poised to oversee Skydance’s movie studios, Warner Bros and Paramount, another senior executive on Paramount CEO David Ellison’s team, Chair of TV Media George Cheeks, would be doing the same with the combined company’s three TV studios, sources said.
- (According to the settlement with the 12 state attorneys general, “Paramount and Warner Brothers are required to continue negotiating their cable packages separately.”) In his current post, Cheeks oversees all linear Paramount networks, including CBS (entertainment, sports and news), MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and BET.
- For instance, Thunell, well-liked by Ellison from their tenure together at Skydance, currently reports to Goldberg who, alongside Greenstein, will have their hands full running both movie studios.
- There had been some speculation that Dungey, given the size and output of Warner Bros TV and her stature as a top TV executive with clout and connections in the industry, may report directly to the CEOs of the combined company as she does now at WBD.
- The move would keep the number of direct reports to Ellison (and now co-CEO Ynon Kreiz) across film, TV and streaming on par with what they were at Paramount Skydance, with Bloys (replacing Cindy Holland, who just stepped down ), Goldberg & Greenstein and Cheeks.
- CBS Studios has the most clearly defined lane of the three studios as the primary supplier to CBS (as well as home of Star Trek and an opportunistic third-party seller).
- One scenario making the rounds has Cheeks potentially overseeing all of the vast TV holdings of the combined company, but so far, there’s no firm confirmation and a final structure isn’t expected to be announced until next week.
- Cheeks had previously been president and CEO of CBS, having joined Paramount in March 2020.
- Popular on Variety Many of the questions in the more traditional Hollywood world of TV networks and studios — still a hefty revenue driver — have centered on what roles Skydance head David Ellison might have in mind for Warner Bros.