Warner Bros. TV Group & U.S. networks chairman/CEO Channing Dungey sent a memo to her staffers on Tuesday evening confirming her role in the new Skydance structure, including the fact that she will be a part of the company’s new executive leadership team.
Dungey’s oversight will be expanding: As expected, she shared the news that she’ll be taking on all of Paramount’s Media Networks (which include MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and BET), in addition to the WBD U.S. networks that she already has been running since last year.
She also confirmed that she’ll be getting a new boss duo. The exec, who reported directly to CEO David Zaslav in the Warner Bros. Discovery era, will now report to newly named Skydance TV co-chair and chief content officer George Cheeks and JB Perrette, in his role as co-chair and chief business officer for Skydance TV.
Dungey has already worked for years with Perette inside WBD, and knows Cheeks well, particularly because Warner Bros. has been a supplier of countless hit series for CBS (including many Chuck Lorre comedies).
“I look forward to working even more closely with George and JB in our new corporate structure,” Dungey wrote. “I know they will be great assets for us.”
In the memo, she also complimented Paramount TV Studios president Matt Thunell and CBS Studios president David Stapf, with whom she’ll be working closely with as part of the trio of studios under Cheeks and Perrette.
In her note, Dungey opened by touting the studio’s recent successes, including 13 new series orders and 13 series renewals so far this year and its overall slate of more than 80 titles for over 20 platforms.
“Please remember I have the highest admiration for the dedication, professionalism and hard work each of you gives this company, and I know our new leadership shares my appreciation for the brilliance of this team,” she wrote.
But Dungey also acknowledged the “stressful time” that comes with adjusting to a merger: “I imagine many of you are arriving at this milestone with mixed emotions: pride in what your teams have accomplished, genuine excitement about the possibilities ahead, and understandably, some uncertainty about what comes next,” she wrote. “I don’t have all the answers today — some things will come into focus quickly, while others will take more time to figure out — but I am committed to keeping you as informed as I can as we move forward.”
Dungey first took over as chairman/CEO of Warner Bros. TV Group at the start of 2021; she later added the Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. networks to her oversight at the start of 2025.
Here’s Dungey’s full memo:
Hi Team —
First, I want to thank all of you for your unwavering focus and commitment to the Studio. I deeply appreciate each and every one of you. We have shared an incredible journey, and today we turn the page and begin a new chapter.
But before we do, allow me to remind you what a hot streak the Studio has been on, even during this period of uncertainty and rapid change throughout the industry. We’ve secured 13 new series orders and 13 series renewals since January. The Studio’s current slate totals more than 80 titles for over 20 platforms, with many more projects in development. Several WBTVG series have reached No. 1 status in various categories this season, including ‘Ted Lasso,’ ‘The Pitt,’ ‘Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage,’ ‘Memory of a Killer,’ ‘Rooster’ and ‘Running Point,’ while ‘Lanterns’ ranks among the top 5 series launches in HBO Max history. Our numerous animation highlights include part one of the ‘Batman: Knightfall’ trilogy, which soared to #2 on Apple TV’s Top Movies chart. Our unscripted team triumphed with ‘The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,’ Season 7, which scored the biggest season-premiere audience in the show’s history. In syndication, ‘The Jennifer Hudson Show’ ranks as the #1 daytime talk show across social media, reaching more than 11 billion views across social platforms. You guys are killing it!
I imagine many of you are arriving at this milestone with mixed emotions: pride in what your teams have accomplished, genuine excitement about the possibilities ahead, and understandably, some uncertainty about what comes next. I don’t have all the answers today — some things will come into focus quickly, while others will take more time to figure out — but I am committed to keeping you as informed as I can as we move forward.
Now that we are officially part of the Skydance family, I want to give you an overview of what the current plans are for the Studio’s future direction and the structure of the new leadership team.
I’m pleased to continue to lead the Warner Bros. Television Group, and I will also continue to oversee the company’s US Networks as part of the new Executive Leadership Team. In addition, I’ll assume oversight of Paramount Media Networks, which includes MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, BET, and additional highly popular networks. In all these studio and network capacities, I’ll report to JB Perrette, Co-Chair & Chief Business Officer, Skydance TV, and George Cheeks, Co-Chair and Chief Content Officer, Skydance TV. George, for those of you who don’t know him, is an accomplished and well-respected executive who has overseen all of Paramount’s CBS-branded properties, as well as BET Studios, Nickelodeon Animation Studios, See It Now Studios, and Paramount Media Networks. WBTVG and CBS have enjoyed a great relationship over the years, and I look forward to working even more closely with George and JB in our new corporate structure. I know they will be great assets for us.
I also look forward to working with the talented studio heads Matt Thunell and David Stapf. Matt is the President of Paramount Television Studios and is responsible for the hit series ‘Landman,’ ‘Dutton Ranch,’ ‘The Madison’ and ‘Tulsa King,’ and David is the President of CBS Studios, overseeing all aspects at that prolific studio, which currently boasts more than 70 series in various stages of production. Working alongside these two highly regarded studios, we are poised to gain a competitive strategic advantage within the industry.
I’m sure you are wondering what all these changes mean for each of you individually. I don’t have further details at the moment, other than to assure you that our new leadership respects and appreciates how special our amazing, industry-leading team is, and I will be working closely with them on the strategy for our future success.
I hope you were able to tune in to today’s Global Town Hall, where David outlined the vision, mission, and strategic priorities for Skydance. If not, or if you’d like to view the replay, it is available on the Skydance Integration Hub, which will serve as a go-to source for updates, FAQs, and other information as we progress through this transition.
This will inevitably be a stressful time for many of us, and I want to emphasize the importance throughout this process of maintaining your mental and physical health. If you need help, speak up. The company offers care and counseling through LYRA. If you need additional support, reach out to your supervisor or to P&C. And of course, my door is always open.
I know everyone has additional questions, and I’ll do my best to provide answers as soon as they’re known. In the meantime, please remember I have the highest admiration for the dedication, professionalism and hard work each of you gives this company, and I know our new leadership shares my appreciation for the brilliance of this team.
I’ll provide more clarity on what you can expect in the weeks and months ahead as we move through this transition. In the meantime, I look forward to getting everyone’s feedback and perspectives and working together to shape the future of WBTVG within the Skydance family.
As we embark on this next chapter in the company’s storied history, my hope is we can work together to make this transition as smooth and positive as possible for all involved, and to build a future for the studios that’s bigger and better than ever.
Warmly,
Channing
Source: variety.com
