The CW hires NBCU veteran Ryan Sharkey to lead programming team

Joan

The CW in the US has appointed NBCUniversal acquisitions veteran Ryan Sharkey as SVP of programming and content strategy.

New York-based Sharkey will spearhead the growth of The CW as well as its AVOD platform and FAST channels, while also leading the scheduling and acquisitions and identifying co-production opportunities.

Ryan Sharkey

“As The CW explores new content that will resonate with viewers on both our linear and streaming channels, Ryan is the ideal candidate to lead our programming team,” said Brad Schwartz, president of entertainment at The CW Network.

Last year, The CW unveiled plans to introduce “broader and cheaper programming”, signalling a push into more unscripted programming and sports. Recent commissions include a spin-off from fantasy adventure series The Librarians, while the network has also boarded as a co-producer on six-part ITVX drama Joan.

Sharkey most recently served as SVP of content acquisitions for NBCUniversal, where he curated programming across the NBCUniversal cable networks, broadcast TV and streaming portfolio. He joined NBC in 2002 and started his career there as a financial analyst responsible for the programming budgets at CNBC then USA Network and SyFy Channel.

He is credited with developing and executing NBCUniversal’s content acquisitions strategy and led negotiations for major IP across Peacock and the NBCU networks. Among his credits are the Universal film output deal, the Harry Potter franchise, and Modern Family along with the first acquisitions deals for Peacock in preparation for its launch in 2020.