ViacomCBS names MTV exec to lead Paramount+ and Pluto TV’s global content plans

Tanya Giles

ViacomCBS has appointed Tanya Giles, general manager of MTV Entertainment Group, to a new role overseeing content for its global streaming operations as part of a wider overhaul of its senior management ranks.

Giles becomes chief programming officer for streaming and will be responsible for creating the content strategy for recently launched SVOD Paramount+ and AVOD service Pluto TV globally.

David Nevins

Her aim is to “maximise mix, prioritisation, timing and impact of ViacomCBS resources, franchises and brands,” to drive viewing, with Giles reporting into Tom Ryan, who was appointed president & CEO of ViacomCBS Streaming last year.

Global genre focus

The company, which launched Paramount+ in North America in early March, has also promoted each of its most senior global programming execs to oversee their respective genres within Paramount+ in a bid to “deploy the right mix of content across its ecosystem of free and pay streaming platforms.”

George Cheeks, president & CEO at CBS, will  serve as chief content officer for news & sports at Paramount+, while Jim Gianopulos, chairman & CEO of Paramount Pictures, will oversee movies for the streamer.

Chris McCarthy, president of MTV Entertainment Group, will oversee unscripted entertainment and adult animation, while David Nevins, chairman & CEO at Showtime Networks, becomes chief content officer for Paramount+ scripted originals.

Elsewhere, Nicole Clemens broadens her responsibilities as president of Paramount Television Studios (PTVS) to include Paramount+ original scripted series, reporting into Gianopulos on the studio side and Nevins on series.

Brian Robbins, president of kids & family entertainment will add Paramount+ to his remit, while Kelly Day, president of streaming & COO at ViacomCBS Networks International (VCNI), will be responsible for expanding the global content slate on Paramount+. She will also oversee the roll out of the SVOD, working closely with Giles and the content team. Day continues to report to Ryan and Raffaele Annecchino, president & CEO of VCNI.

Tom Ryan

Scott Mills will continue to oversee Bet+ in his capacity as president of Bet, reporting to Nevins, while Bruce Gillmer becomes content chief for music programming at Paramount+.

‘Data harnessing & impact programming’

Ryan, who joined ViacomCBS following its acquisition of Pluto TV, said the appointment of Giles “brings a deep familiarity with our brands and audiences, as well as an unmatched talent for harnessing data to make high-impact programming decisions.”

He added: “Our content leaders know their genres better than anyone and have been integral to building a strong slate for Paramount+ and growing its audience. Our new structure will enable us to tap into their collective expertise even more effectively, further cementing Paramount+ as a true super service that delivers the content audiences love, all in one place.”

All appointments are effective immediately and the execs above – excluding Giles – continue to report to ViacomCBS CEO Bob Bakish.

He added: “The strong launch and early months of Paramount+ have demonstrated the power and potential of our platform, as well as audiences’ appetite for a broad and diverse array of content, all in one place.

“The moves we are making today will accelerate that mission by putting ViacomCBS’ most powerful assets – world-class content, iconic brands, global infrastructure and expertise, and the best talent in the business today – behind our platforms as we pursue the global opportunity in streaming. Together, our leaders will ensure that we’re delivering to audiences the very best our streaming platforms have to offer, with must-watch content across every genre and market we operate in.”

Bob Bakish

ViacomCBS launched Paramount+, an overhauled version of former streamer CBS All Access, in North America in early March although its originals slate will only become available from later this year. New programming includes a drama about the making of mafia trilogy The Godfather and a new series starring Keifer Sutherland, revealed in May.

The streamer is also preparing to launch across Latin America and parts of Europe later in 2021, while the US media giant said in May that the SVOD would be introduced in Australia in August, with four local originals in the works.

The changes comes nine months since ViacomCBS last overhauled its senior exec ranks, when former chief digital officer Marc DeBevoise and long-serving exec Pierluigi Gazzolo, VCNI’s president of streaming & studios, departed.