Channing Dungey stays on after $110bn deal but has no official title yet

Channing Dungey has stayed on to run television for the new Skydance-owned Warner Bros., but three days after the $110 billion deal closed she still has no official title.

Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, valued at $110 billion, closed on Tuesday, according to Deadline. Dungey took up her new post at the combined Skydance company at closing. By Friday 9 October, her permanent title had not been confirmed.

For now she is temporarily using the title Chairman, Warner Bros. Television Group and US Networks. Her former title was Chairman and CEO, Warner Bros. Television Group and US Networks. The difference is one word. It matters in Hollywood because CEO signals final decision-making power.

Dungey reports to two bosses in the new structure. They are George Cheeks, Co-Chair and Chief Content Officer of Skydance TV, and JB Perrette, Co-Chair and Chief Business Officer of Skydance TV. A dual reporting line, meaning two senior managers share oversight, is common after a merger while responsibilities are divided.

Her job has grown much larger. In addition to leading the Warner Bros. TV studio, which makes series for broadcasters, cable channels and streaming platforms, she will also oversee Paramount cable networks including MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and BET. The expanded portfolio covers about 30 cable brands in total.

Contract details remain unconfirmed. Deadline reported that Dungey is believed to have signed a new multi-year deal to stay in Skydance leadership. The same report said contract renewals for fellow Warner Bros. Discovery executives Casey Bloys and Perrette are for five years. Those details rest on unnamed sources and have not been confirmed by the company.

Staff heard from Dungey directly on closing day. She sent a memo to employees on Tuesday about the company's next chapter. Skydance had been expected to unveil its official executive structure early next week once the deal closed, according to an earlier Deadline report published on 4 October.

The leadership shuffle follows a busy period for her division. Variety published an interview on 9 September with Dungey about Warner Bros. TV Group's pickups, meaning new series ordered, plus renewals and new deals despite industry disruption and ownership uncertainty.

For viewers, this means continuity at the top. The same executive who ordered and renewed shows now controls both the studio that makes them and the channels that air them.