Skydance puts Perrette in charge of international streaming and networks

Skydance has put one executive in charge of almost everything it shows outside the United States.

JB Perrette will oversee streaming and networks outside the US, under a new expanded title: Co-Chair and Chief Business Officer of Skydance TV and Co-Chair and Chief Business Officer of Skydance Direct-to-Consumer. Direct-to-consumer is industry shorthand for streaming services that sell straight to viewers. The appointment was detailed on October 13, according to Deadline.

It is a wide brief. It covers the international arms of a portfolio that now spans Paramount, Warner Bros., HBO and HBO Max, Paramount+, Pluto TV, CBS, CNN, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, MTV and more, following Paramount's completed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery on October 6.

Perrette gets three new direct reports. David Decker has taken the post of President of Content Sales, overseeing global distribution, meaning the licensing of shows and films to other broadcasters and platforms. Jay Askinasi joins as Chief Revenue Officer. Ray Hopkins becomes President, Distribution.

The structure also settles who runs two free-to-air channels for now. Free-to-air means anyone with an aerial or basic set-up can watch without a subscription. CBS Chief Operating Officer Bryon Rubin will at least temporarily take charge of Channel 5 in Britain and Network Ten in Australia. Rubin has been COO and finance chief of CBS since 2020 and reports to Skydance TV boss George Cheeks.

Perrette is a familiar face in international television. He previously served as President and CEO of Discovery Networks International and later as President and CEO of Global Streaming and Games at Warner Bros. Discovery. He re-upped his contract with Skydance, meaning he signed a new deal to stay on, in a renewal reported on October 9.

The changes follow a week of rapid boardroom moves. Skydance is now organised into three business segments: Studios, Direct-to-Consumer, and TV Media, according to Paramount. David Ellison is CEO. Ynon Kreiz, the former Mattel chief, joined as Co-CEO at closing. Ellison and Kreiz announced their wider CEO leadership team on October 5.

Two senior international names are leaving. Kevin MacLellan is exiting after the merger. Gerhard Zeiler is also exiting.

For viewers, this means one team decides what travels and where. That covers which shows land on HBO Max or Paramount+ abroad, which are sold to local channels, and what stays on 5 and Ten. No channel changes were announced. The jobs tell the story: 200-person crews feel a scheduling call first.