Scott Herbst Named President of Lionsgate Television Group

Scott Herbst has been promoted to president of Lionsgate Television Group, the studio's TV division, according to Deadline, which reported the move on 27 October 2026. The change gives him a wider remit, from finding new ideas to the actors and music that go into the finished shows.

Herbst joined Lionsgate in 2018. Until now he was executive vice president and head of development for the TV operation. Development is the early stage where a studio decides which ideas to back and helps shape them into scripts and pilots, meaning the first episode a network or streamer may look at before ordering a full series.

In his new role, Herbst keeps leading development. He also takes on current programming, which covers shows already in production or on air, along with casting, television music, and scripted digital series. Scripted digital series are written shows made for online platforms rather than broadcast or cable. He will continue to report to Kevin Beggs, chair of Lionsgate Television Group.

Three colleagues now report to Herbst. Lee Hollin, who heads current programming, and Marcello Bellisario, who leads television casting, will both report to him. So will Russell Ziecker, the group's head of television music. Hollin joined Lionsgate in 2018 and was promoted to executive vice president in 2019. Bellisario has been with the company since 2014.

Herbst, Hollin and Bellisario have also signed new long-term contracts as part of the restructuring, Deadline reported.

Herbst's rise is not new to Lionsgate. In August 2019, the company promoted him to head of scripted development, a role that covered the studio's scripted series across broadcast, cable and streaming. He had been senior vice president of television production before that. The same day, Lionsgate promoted Jocelyn Sabo, according to Variety and other trade reports from that time.

For the people who make the shows, the practical effect is one line of reporting. Writers, casting directors and music teams across the group now answer to a single executive for their part of the process. Development decisions often take years to reach a screen, so the impact on viewers will be slow to show. For now, the news is about who is in charge, and who has signed on to stay.