George Cheeks to Oversee Three TV Studios in Skydance-Paramount-WBD Merger

George Cheeks is set to oversee the combined company's three television studios — Warner Bros. Television, CBS Studios, and Paramount Television Studios — once the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery transaction closes on Oct. 6, according to Deadline.

Channing Dungey and Matt Thunell will remain in their roles and report to Cheeks, the report said. Cheeks' expanded portfolio is also expected to include some oversight of cable brands on the WBD side.

The leadership plan extends Cheeks' reach beyond CBS Studios, which he has overseen since joining then-ViacomCBS in 2020. In his current post, he also oversees all linear Paramount brands, including CBS, MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, and BET.

Thunell, who currently reports to Dana Goldberg, integrated Skydance Television and Paramount's cable production units last fall. Goldberg and Josh Greenstein are poised to oversee Skydance's movie studios, Warner Bros. and Paramount, while Casey Bloys is in line to run the combination of HBO Max and Paramount+.

The scale of the TV studio consolidation is notable. It took Disney six years after its acquisition of Fox assets to fully merge 20th Television, ABC Signature, and Touchstone Television. Warner Bros. Television's library includes Friends, ER, and The Big Bang Theory, with recent highlights such as The Pitt, Ted Lasso, Rooster, and Stuart Fails To Save the Universe.