Showtime's shakeups are continuing. Staff is being merged into its sister brand MTV Entertainment Studios, and a number of the premium cable network's veteran executives are departing their current roles, leaving Showtime vulnerable to further layoffs in the future.
Chris McCarthy, the new Showtime CEO, announced that co-president Gary Levine would step down from the position of advisor to what is now "Paramount+ with Showtime," while Jana Winograde would step down. In a follow-up note that detailed the new organizational structure at the merged Showtime and MTV, McCarthy announced that four other executives would step down.
Michael Crotty, Paramount Global Premium Group CFO and COO, Vinnie Malhotra, Rob Rosenberg, Showtime's creative director global brand and originals at Paramount International, and Kent Sevener, Showtime's content acquisition director
Nina L. Diaz is the new Chief Creative Officer and President of Content, as well as other executives who will report to McCarthy. You can see all of the other changes below.
The departures are the latest in a long line of changes as Showtime merges with Paramount+, which might spell the end of the linear Showtime network altogether (for the time being, you'll get to see some Paramount+ originals on the linear channel). That's also meant Showtime has dropped some of its series that don't fit neatly into specific buckets, including the yet-to-be-released "Ripley" from Netflix.
Bob Bakish, the CEO of Paramount Global, described the merger of Showtime and Paramount+ in a note to staff (obtained by IndieWire) as "the first of its kind to integrate streaming and linear content in this manner."
“This new combined offering demonstrates how we can leverage our entire collection of content to strengthen consumer interactions and increase revenue for our distribution partners,” said the author. “This change will also drive stronger alignment across our domestic and international Paramount+ offerings, as international Paramount+ already includes Showtime content. And, most important, this integration will enable operational savings and financial benefits across our wider portfolio.
McCarthy's two full memos are below:
Winograde also sent a note to the team upon her departure Monday.