Channing Dungey Poised to Run Paramount Cable Networks at Skydance

Channing Dungey is poised to take charge of MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and BET at the new Skydance.

The expanded role would put Paramount's cable networks under the executive who already leads Warner Bros. Television Group and Warner Bros. Discovery's channels in the United States. Deadline reported the plan on 5 October, ahead of a formal announcement.

Dungey holds the title of Chairman and CEO, Warner Bros. Television Group and US Networks. Under the plan, she would report to George Cheeks on both the studio and the cable side. Cheeks is Paramount's Chair of TV Media and currently oversees CBS Studios. He is poised to add oversight of Warner Bros. Television and Paramount Television Studios.

The reporting lines below them are also taking shape. Matt Thunell is President of Paramount Television Studios. David Stapf is President of CBS Studios. Under the reported structure, Dungey, Thunell and Stapf would all report to Cheeks. Paramount's cable networks currently report to Cheeks.

The channel list is long. In addition to MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and BET, Dungey would add VH1, Paramount Network, TV Land, CMT, Pop TV and Logo TV. Her existing US Networks portfolio includes Discovery Channel, Food Network, HGTV, Investigation Discovery, TLC, Adult Swim, Animal Planet, Cartoon Network, HLN, OWN, TBS, TNT, Travel Channel, truTV and Turner Classic Movies. That would place two of the largest cable portfolios in American television under one executive within the combined organisation.

Skydance is the recently adopted name for the combined Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery company. The official executive structure is expected early next week, tied to Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery closing on 6 October, according to the same report.

Dungey has run Warner Bros. Television Group since early 2021, after being named Chairman in October 2020. She added oversight of Warner Bros. Discovery's basic cable networks, meaning channels carried in the pay-TV bundle, at the end of 2024. Warner Bros. Discovery has described her as the first woman and first Black executive to run the television group.

Broader plans for the deal have been reported separately. Earlier reporting said HBO would keep autonomy, while HBO Max and Paramount+ would merge following the acquisition. Twelve states have sued to block the takeover, Variety reported in July.

What makes this stand out is scale. For viewers, it means the teams commissioning shows across more than two dozen channels would answer to the same leadership.