AMC Networks (NASDAQ: AMCX) today announced that following a
successful 26-year tenure as president and chief executive officer
Josh Sapan has notified the company of his desire to transition to
executive vice chairman. To help ensure an orderly transition, the
company also announced that seasoned media executive Matthew Blank
will serve as interim chief executive officer while the company
conducts a search for a replacement.
Over more than three decades, Mr. Sapan grew AMC
Networks into a dynamic global entertainment company known for
celebrated and groundbreaking original content, such as Mad Men,
Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead, and an unrivaled portfolio of
brands, among them AMC, BBC America, IFC, SundanceTV, WE tv and IFC
Films. In his new role as executive vice chairman, Mr. Sapan will
continue to assist in setting AMC Networks’ corporate and creative
direction and work closely with the company’s leadership to support
the overall advancement of the company, particularly as it
continues to grow its targeted streaming business, led by its
streaming offerings which include AMC+, Acorn TV, Shudder, Sundance
Now and ALLBLK.
Mr. Blank joins AMC Networks following more than
40 years of leadership positions in the media industry, including
20 years as chairman and chief executive officer of Showtime
Networks, where he also served as president and chief operating
officer. While at Showtime, Mr. Blank played a key role in helping
the company expand beyond the traditional pay TV model with the
successful launch of Showtime’s standalone streaming service. Mr.
Blank also spent more than a decade at Home Box Office, Inc.,
departing as senior vice president, consumer marketing. As interim
chief executive officer, Mr. Blank will utilize his expertise and
work with AMC Networks’ leadership, including Mr. Sapan, to
maximize the company’s streaming business, while building on its
core assets.
AMC Networks Chairman James Dolan said: “Over
his long career, Josh’s leadership ensured AMC Networks became a
force in entertainment, with far-reaching influence throughout the
industry, and home to some of the most successful and innovative
shows in the history of television. We are grateful for his vision,
creativity and management expertise and look forward to his
continued contributions as executive vice chairman.”
Mr. Dolan added: “We are also delighted to have
Matt help us through this transition. His wealth of media
experience will prove valuable as he works with Josh and the AMC
Networks team to support the company’s continued success.”
“This has been the greatest career I could have
ever imagined, and I am enormously proud of all that we have
accomplished. I am deeply grateful to Charles and Jim Dolan for
allowing me this spectacular opportunity,” said Mr. Sapan. “There
has perhaps been no more exciting time for the company than right
now and, as executive vice chairman, I look forward to continuing
to work with the outstanding team at AMC Networks, as well as Matt,
my great colleague and friend, to focus on how we maximize our
unique content to accelerate our streaming goals.”
Mr. Sapan became President and CEO of AMC
Networks in 1995, when the company was known as Rainbow Media and
was a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation. During his
tenure, he reshaped the company, evolving it from a collection of
U.S. cable channels showcasing classic movies to what is today a
global entertainment company known for bold, prestige original
drama, and more recently, for its portfolio of fast-growing
targeted streaming services.
Under Mr. Sapan’s leadership, AMC Networks has
become a destination for critically-acclaimed and award-winning
content, including original drama series Mad Men, Breaking Bad,
Better Call Saul, The Walking Dead, Killing Eve, and Rectify;
mini-series The Night Manager, Top of the Lake and Carlos; and
mold-breaking comedies Portlandia, Documentary Now! and Brockmire.
A champion of new voices, Mr. Sapan has brought independent film to
wide audiences through IFC Films, supporting the early work of
ground-breaking directors including Lena Dunham, Barry Jenkins,
Richard Linklater, Mira Nair, Christopher Nolan and Lynn Shelton,
among many others.
Mr. Sapan led the launch of the company’s first
streaming offerings, Sundance Now (in 2014) and Shudder (in 2015).
These launches were followed by the 2018 acquisition of RLJ
Entertainment, which added Acorn TV and ALLBLK to the company’s
streaming portfolio, and last year’s launch of the AMC+ premium
bundle – all of which set the company on its present course with a
future built around targeted streaming offerings.
At Showtime Networks, Mr. Blank was instrumental
in Showtime’s launch of a standalone streaming service, as well as
its early adoption of critical digital technologies that have
enhanced the user experience, such as high-definition video and
subscription video on demand (SVOD). Mr. Blank’s tenure included
numerous award-winning original programs, including Homeland, Ray
Donovan, Shameless, Billions, Dexter, Weeds and The Circus, as well
as decades of Showtime Championship Boxing featuring Mike Tyson,
Evander Holyfield, Floyd Mayweather and dozens of other boxing
greats.
Mr. Blank served on the Board of Directors of
the National Cable Television Association (NCTA) for nearly 25
years and remains on the board of The Cable Center. In 2013, he was
honored by the Center for Communication with the Dr. Frank Stanton
Award for Excellence in Communications. He was inducted into
Broadcasting and Cable magazine’s Hall of Fame in 2008 and the
Cable Center Hall of Fame in 2009. He has received numerous
industry awards, including the NCTA’s Vanguard awards for
Marketing, Programming, and the industry’s top honor, the Vanguard
Award for Leadership in 2008.
Mr. Blank currently serves as a director for
Cumulus Media and CuriosityStream. In accepting his new interim
position at AMC Networks, Mr. Blank has also resigned from the
board of directors for MSG Entertainment. Mr. Blank is a graduate
of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and
holds an MBA from Baruch College.
About AMC Networks
AMC Networks is a global entertainment company
known for its popular and critically-acclaimed content. Its
portfolio of brands includes AMC, BBC AMERICA (operated through a
joint venture with BBC Studios), IFC, SundanceTV, WE tv, IFC Films,
and a number of fast-growing streaming services, including the AMC+
premium streaming bundle, Acorn TV, Shudder, Sundance Now and
ALLBLK. AMC Studios, the Company’s in-house studio, production and
distribution operation, is behind award-winning owned series and
franchises, including The Walking Dead, the highest-rated series in
cable history. The Company also operates AMC Networks
International, its international programming business, and 25/7
Media, its production services business.
Contacts |
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|
|
Corporate
Communications |
Investor
Relations |
Georgia
Juvelis |
Nicholas
Seibert |
Georgia.juvelis@amcnetworks.com |
Nicholas.seibert@amcnetworks.com |
917-542-6390 |
646-740-5749 |
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