George Cheeks To Oversee Massive TV Empire Under Skydance

Cheeks will also oversee more than 50 cable networks in the U.S. and internationally.

George Cheeks is set to oversee one of the entertainment industry’s largest television portfolios as he takes on an expanded leadership role at Paramount Skydance following its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Cheeks will serve as co-chair and chief content officer of Skydance TV, according to a leadership structure announced Oct. 5 by Paramount Skydance Chairman and CEO David Ellison and incoming co-CEO Ynon Kreiz. The appointment will put Cheeks at the helm of a sprawling television operation combining major assets from Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery.

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His portfolio will include Warner Bros. Television Studios, CBS Studios, and Paramount Television Studios, along with the CBS Television Network, 27 local television stations, and Skydance’s global sports operations. Cheeks will also oversee more than 50 cable networks in the U.S. and internationally, including BET, MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, TNT, TBS, Discovery, HGTV, and Food Network.

The expanded role marks another major step in Cheeks’ career. He joined Paramount in 2020 as president and CEO of CBS and later served as co-CEO of Paramount Global before becoming chair of TV Media at Paramount.

During his tenure, Cheeks helped steer CBS as its programming expanded across broadcast and streaming platforms. Before joining CBS, he held several senior leadership positions at NBCUniversal, including co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and vice chairman of NBCUniversal Content Studios.

Cheeks will join an executive team overseeing an extensive collection of television and streaming assets. Casey Bloys is slated to serve as co-chair and chief content officer of Skydance’s direct-to-consumer business, overseeing original programming for HBO Max and Paramount+. JB Perrette will serve as co-chair and chief business officer across Skydance TV and its direct-to-consumer operation.

The appointments are contingent on Paramount completing its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The transaction is expected to close Oct. 6, after which the combined company is expected to operate under the Skydance name.