The Entertainment & Youth division has especially been hard hit, with Sarah Babineau, Head of Comedy Central Content & Creative Enterprises, among a slew of executives impacted as the group is undergoing integration. Babineau is expected to depart the company at the end of the year.
Over at Nickelodeon, Deadline has heard Sharon Cohen, Executive Vice President (EVP), The Nick Experience, and a Viacom veteran of more than 20 years, is leaving, along with her group whose focus had been expanding the Nickelodeon brand and its franchises beyond their linear and digital platforms through on-the-ground, real-world experiences.
In the era of coronavirus (COVID-19) and social distancing, that type of public, in-person social-interaction-based activities have been suspended for the foreseeable future. Some of the initiatives Cohen and her team shepherded included Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Punta Cana, the globally PAW Patrol Live tours; and Nickelodeon SlimeFest, Nick’s U.S. multiday music festival.
Related to that, executives in Nick’s live events department have also been impacted. A rep for ViacomCBS had no comment.
In addition to Babineau and Cohen, Tom Hayden, President of Smithsonian Networks, will leave at the end of next month after a transition period.
In his email to staff this morning, Bakish spoke about the company’s continuing efforts “to integrate and streamline our operations, manage our costs as diligently as we can, and follow through on our committed post-merger synergy targets.”
“Throughout this transformation, we want to be as supportive of our employees as possible, particularly given the circumstances we’re in,” he added. “Some of us are saying goodbye to incredible team members and friends – people who have made lasting contributions to the success of our company and have enriched our culture. I want to assure you that we are focused on making their transitions easier at this time, while supporting the needs of all our employees and their families.”
From Deadline:
Tom Hayden Exits As President of Smithsonian Networks Amid Entertainment & Youth Group Integration & ViacomCBS Layoffs
It’s been a brutal day across the cable networks of ViacomCBS in a new wave of post CBS-Viacom merger layoffs and reorganization. The highest profile departures have been in the Entertainment & Youth division, which is undergoing the final stage of its integration.
As part of that, Tom Hayden, President of Smithsonian Networks, will leave at the end of next month after a transition period. He joins Sarah Babineau, Head of Comedy Central Content & Creative Enterprises, who will be departing at the end of the year.
She is among a slew of executives that are being let go at Comedy Central, whose scripted team has been gutted, according to sources. I hear departures include Monika Zielinska, SVP,, Original Programming and Development, West Coast; Anne Harris, SVP, Talent and Development, and Tara Schuster, VP, Talent & Development.
It is part of post-ViacomCBS merger layoffs that were happening across the Entertainment & Youth unit today, with Pop and the Smithsonian Channel reportedly hit hard, and MTV and Lego also impacted, including a number of MTV News staffer who were let go today. Noone would comment but a number floated around indicates about 100 people may have been affected.
In an internal memo, Chris McCarthy, President of ViacomCBS’ Entertainment & Youth division, addressed the layoffs and restructuring, noting that the “changes were driven by two factors:: Shifting from cable to content which is at the center of everything we do and Moving from strong siloed brands to a powerful entertainment portfolio.”
The integration McCarthy is referring to involves bringing together and melding into a single organizational structure the four branded groups within the Entertainment & Youth unit: music (MTV, VH1, CMT & Logo), entertainment (Comedy Central, Paramount Network TV Line), with Pop and the Smithsonian Channel, which cane from Showtime Networks after the merger, as standalone entities. While Hayden is leaving, for now, indications are that Pop TV President Bradley Schwartz is staying.
Hayden joined Showtime Networks in 1989. In 2006, he was tasked with launching and developing Smithsonian Channel, a joint venture between Showtime Networks and the Smithsonian Institution, which launched in 2007.
Here is McCarthy’s memo:
Team,
By now I’m sure you’ve heard, today we took the final step to merge our four branded groups into one unified creative organization.
To that end, we made the extremely tough decision to part ways with staff members across our teams. These changes were driven by two factors:
Shifting from cable to content which is at the center of everything we do
Moving from strong siloed brands to a powerful entertainment portfolio
We didn’t come to these decisions quickly or easily, but rather after a thoughtful process over the past few months. This new structure will take advantage of our full scale and shared expertise. More to come on that in the next few days.
As much as these changes are necessary, I know they aren’t easy on anyone – they shouldn’t be. We aren’t just saying goodbye to work colleagues, but our friends and family.
Please join me in thanking those who are leaving and express our gratitude for their many contributions.
With appreciation,
Chris
###
From Variety:
Smithsonian Networks Head Tom Hayden Out as Post-Merger Layoffs Hit ViacomCBS
Amid a day of company-wide restructuring at ViacomCBS, Smithsonian Network president Tom Hayden will leaving his post at the end of May, Variety has learned. The reorganization — which includes layoffs of more than 100 employees primarily at MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, Pop and Smithsonian — is part of the ongoing post-merger integration of Viacom and CBS that is designed to provide $750 million in synergies over three years. The layoffs are not related to the current coronavirus outbreak.
A wide range of divisions, from the programming and development executive suite at Comedy Central, as well as editorial staffers as MTV News, have been impacted. Comedy Central head of content and creative enterprises Sarah Babineau is also departing.
Hayden, who in 2007 launched the Smithsonian Channel — a joint venture between Showtime Networks and the Smithsonian Institution — first joined Showtime Networks in 1989, and had previously served in various roles at the network. He will depart after helping to shepherd the transition at ViacomCBS.
Chris McCarthy, president of entertainment and youth brands at ViacomCBS domestic media networks, informed staff on Wednesday that the company had taken the “final step” to merge its four branded groups together, driven by the decision to shift “from cable to content” and move “from strong siloed brands to a powerful entertainment portfolio.”
Earlier in the day, ViacomCBS Bob Bakish had sent out an internal letter to staff, explaining that it was “critical that we continue these efforts to integrate and evolve ViacomCBS to remain competitive now and for the future.”
“This means continuing to integrate and streamline our operations, manage our costs as diligently as we can, and follow through on our committed post-merger synergy targets,” wrote Bakish.
McCarthy’s memo to staff can be read below:
Team,
By now I’m sure you’ve heard, today we took the final step to merge our four branded groups into one unified creative organization.
To that end, we made the extremely tough decision to part ways with staff members across our teams. These changes were driven by two factors:
Shifting from cable to content which is at the center of everything we do
Moving from strong siloed brands to a powerful entertainment portfolio
We didn’t come to these decisions quickly or easily, but rather after a thoughtful process over the past few months. This new structure will take advantage of our full scale and shared expertise. More to come on that in the next few days.
As much as these changes are necessary, I know they aren’t easy on anyone – they shouldn’t be. We aren’t just saying goodbye to work colleagues, but our friends and family.
Please join me in thanking those who are leaving and express our gratitude for their many contributions.
With appreciation,
Chris
###
From The Hollywood Reporter:
Smithsonian President Out as ViacomCBS Merges Branded Groups
Tom Hayden launched the niche cable network in 2006.
The layoffs amid ViacomCBS' larger reorganization continue.
Smithsonian Channel president Tom Hayden is the latest network exec to be dismissed as the conglomerate merges its four "branded groups" into one unified organization. Sources say that Paramount Network senior vp unscripted Lauren Dolgen is also among those who have been impacted by Wednesday's layoffs.
Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that the cutbacks impacted executives who carried the senior vp title across Paramount Network and Comedy Central and, to a lesser extent, Nickelodeon. The latter network's exec vp Sharon Cohen also departed Wednesday as the kid-focused cabler's live events division was also impacted by the cutbacks.
Earlier on Wednesday, Comedy Central's head of Comedy Central Content and Creative Enterprises Sarah Babineau was pushed out a mere three months after she was promoted to the new role. Keith Cox, who was promoted alongside her at the time, will absorb her responsibilities in his role as president of ViacomCBS' Entertainment & Youth Studios. As part of that job, Cox already had oversight of Smithsonian.
ViacomCBS' Entertainment & Youth Studios group is overseen by Chris McCarthy, whose massive purview includes MTV, VH1, Logo, CMT, Comedy Central, Paramount Network, TV Land and Smithsonian Channel. McCarthy, who reports directly to ViacomCBS CEO Bob Bakish, outlined the company's changed in a memo to staff (read it in full below) in which he outlined the "final step" to merge the four branded groups. To that end, McCarathy said the move is part of a shift from cable to content and from strong siloed brands to one "powerful" entertainment portfolio.
Hayden, who helped launch Smithsonian Channel in 2006, will remain on through a transition period before departing at the end of May.
Hayden joined ViacomCBS-owned Showtime in 1989 and formed Smithsonian Channel, a joint venture between the Smithsonian Institution and Showtime.
The news comes hours after Bakish sent a memo to staff detailing plans to continue "to integrate and streamline our operations, manage our costs as diligently as we can, and follow through on our committed post-merger synergy targets."
For its part, Viacom — even before it was re-merged with CBS — has been consolidating its entertainment brands for the past few years under Bakish. Longtime Viacom execs Debra Lee (BET), Kevin Kay (Paramount Network), Kent Alterman and, before him, Michele Ganeless (Comedy Central), Cyma Zarghami (Nickelodeon), Larry Jones (TV Land) and Brian Philips (CMT) have all been pushed out under Bakish's regime. McCarthy has since doubled the number of networks he oversees.
Here's McCarthy's memo:
Team,
By now I’m sure you’ve heard, today we took the final step to merge our four branded groups into one unified creative organization.
To that end, we made the extremely tough decision to part ways with staff members across our teams. These changes were driven by two factors:
Shifting from cable to content which is at the center of everything we do
Moving from strong siloed brands to a powerful entertainment portfolio
We didn’t come to these decisions quickly or easily, but rather after a thoughtful process over the past few months. This new structure will take advantage of our full scale and shared expertise. More to come on that in the next few days.
As much as these changes are necessary, I know they aren’t easy on anyone – they shouldn’t be. We aren’t just saying goodbye to work colleagues, but our friends and family.
Please join me in thanking those who are leaving and express our gratitude for their many contributions.
With appreciation,
Chris
###
From bizjournals (via One Page News):
ViacomCBS laying off staff as part of post-merger streamlining
ViacomCBS laid off more workers Wednesday as part of ongoing streamlining efforts following the merger of Viacom and CBS, according to Hollywood Reporter.
The industry publication didn’t report exact numbers but said staffers were laid off at Nickelodeon, MTV News and ViacomCBS' advertising sales division.
Deadline reported layoffs are rumored to be 500 to 700.
In a memo to employees Wednesday, ViacomCBS Chief Executive Bob Bakish said the last few weeks of business disruptions amid the coronavirus pandemic has been “challenging” but said it was “critical that we continue these efforts to integrate and evolve ViacomCBS to remain competitive now and for the future.”
Bakish added that means the company will continue to "streamline our operations, manage our costs as diligently as we can, and follow through on our committed post-merger synergy targets.”
ViacomCBS had planned to enact several rounds of layoffs as early as late February. The merged company, which has more than 20,000-plus employees, said it planned to save about $750 million over three years as it consolidates media assets from Viacom and CBS.
"I know that even before the coronavirus pandemic, we were already in a period of significant change to integrate our newly combined company," Bakish wrote in Wednesday’s memo. “Some of us are saying goodbye to incredible team members and friends – people who have made lasting contributions to the success of our company and have enriched our culture. I want to assure you that we are focused on making their transitions easier at this time, while supporting the needs of all our employees and their families.”
In April, ViacomCBS launched a $100 million relief fund for workers who were impacted on halted film and TV productions.
The film and TV industry has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, as studios hatled productions and companies were forced to postpone movie openings.
ViacomCBS warned in a March 27 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that the novel coronavirus would have a "material" impact on its business and said it was "also working proactively to offset a portion of anticipated revenue losses through cost-savings initiatives,” according to Hollywood Reporter.
The company cited "cancellation or rescheduling of sports events for which the company had broadcast rights, and production delays in television and filmed entertainment" and said it wasn't able to estimate the impact on future operating results.
###
From Billboard:
ViacomCBS Chief Updates Staff On Layoffs, Cost-Cutting Measures
Bob Bakish, President and CEO, Viacom Inc., participates in a panel discussion during the annual Milken Institute Global Conference at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on April 29, 2019 in Beverly Hills, Calif.
As ViacomCBS keeps up its plan for $750 million in post-merger cost savings, CEO Bob Bakish sent a note to employees on Wednesday as an update on the company's progress.
"I know that even before the coronavirus pandemic, we were already in a period of significant change to integrate our newly combined company," Bakish wrote, adding that the company plans to continue "to integrate and streamline our operations, manage our costs as diligently as we can, and follow through on our committed post-merger synergy targets."
On Feb. 20, the newly merged conglomerate raised its planned cost-savings guidance from $500 million to $750 million over three years as it consolidate teams from Viacom and CBS media assets.
A month later, as a pandemic effectively shuttered Hollywood film and TV production, ViacomCBS warned in a March 27 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that the novel coronavirus would have a "material" impact on its business and said it was "also working proactively to offset a portion of anticipated revenue losses through cost-savings initiatives."
The company cited "cancellation or rescheduling of sports events for which the company had broadcast rights, and production delays in television and filmed entertainment" and said it wasn't able to estimate the impact on future operating results.
Several MTV staffers announced on Twitter that they had been laid off.
Bakish's memo on Wednesday is below:
Team,
I know these past weeks have been challenging, and have forced us to deal with major disruptions in our personal and professional lives. And I know that even before the coronavirus pandemic, we were already in a period of significant change to integrate our newly combined company – work that is helping us weather this crisis, creatively adapt and strengthen the resiliency of our business.
As I said at our last Bob Live, however, it’s critical that we continue these efforts to integrate and evolve ViacomCBS to remain competitive now and for the future. This means continuing to integrate and streamline our operations, manage our costs as diligently as we can, and follow through on our committed post-merger synergy targets.
Throughout this transformation, we want to be as supportive of our employees as possible, particularly given the circumstances we’re in. Some of us are saying goodbye to incredible team members and friends – people who have made lasting contributions to the success of our company and have enriched our culture. I want to assure you that we are focused on making their transitions easier at this time, while supporting the needs of all our employees and their families.
I realize you may have questions, and I look forward to answering them, and providing another update on our progress at Bob Live shortly after we report earnings next week.
In the meantime, thank you for your continued hard work and focus, and for everything you do to make our company better for our audiences, partners and communities around the world.
Please stay healthy and safe. Best,
Bob
###
From Deadline:
Sarah Babineau To Depart Comedy Central Amid Restructuring And Layoffs In Entertainment & Youth Unit
EXCLUSIVE: Another top Comedy Central executive is exiting in the fallout from the ViacomCBS merger. Sarah Babineau, Head of Comedy Central Content & Creative Enterprises, will be departing the company at the end of the year. The news comes two months after she was promoted to the high-level creative post within ViacomCBS’ Entertainment & Youth unit.
I hear she is among a slew of executives that are being let go at the network whose scripted team has been gutted, according to sources. It is part of post-ViacomCBS merger layoffs that are currently happening across the Entertainment & Youth unit, with Pop and the Smithsonian Channel also reportedly hit hard, and MTV and Lego also impacted, I hear. Noone would comment but a number floated around indicates about 100 people may have been affected. UPDATE: I hear Comedy Central departures include Monika Zielinska, SVP, Original Programming and Development, West Coast; Anne Harris, SVP, Talent and Development, and Tara Schuster, VP, Talent & Development.
As part of the post-merger integration at the new Entertainment & Youth division, run by Chris McCarthy, there will be a further consolidation of top creative executives under Nina L. Diaz, President of Content and Chief Creative Officer for the entire group, I have learned.
President of Entertainment & Youth Studios Keith Cox, who was promoted alongside Babineau in January, will oversee scripted development and scripted studio production across the portfolio, I hear. Pop’s Head Original Programming and Development Justin Rosenblatt will straddle scripted and unscripted with focus on comedic content. Further integration of other teams across the networks, including talent, is expected, triggering layoffs.
The merger-related executive changes at Comedy Central started in November when the network’s longtime leader, Kent Alterman, stepped down as President, Comedy Central, Paramount Network and TV Land. That was when ViacomCBS’ Entertainment & Youth division was formed under McCarthy, who added Comedy Central, Paramount Network, Smithsonian Channel and TV Land and their respective content studios to his existing portfolio of MTV, VH1, CMT and Logo Media. (He has since also taken over Pop TV). The unit has been divided into four groups, music (MTV, VH1, CMT & Logo), entertainment (Comedy Central, Paramount Network TV Line), with Pop and the Smithsonian Channel as standalone entiries.
In January, Comedy Central Co-head of Original Content Babineau was named to the top programming post at the network in a restructuring, which saw fellow Comedy Central’s Co-Head of Original Content Jonas Larsen step down.
In her current role, Babineau oversees all creative content and talent development for Comedy Central, including shows, CC Films, projects from Comedy Central Productions for third parties, tent-poles, games and ancillary businesses.
Babineau quickly rose through ranks since joining Comedy Central in 2014. She is credited as the creative behind the brands’ most recent and biggest successes including the relaunch of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Inside Amy Schumer, Broad City, The Other Two and the network’s newest breakout hit, Awkwafina is Nora from Queens, starring Golden Globe winner Awkwafina.
Prior to joining Comedy Central, Babineau was development and programming executive at Amazon Studios helping launch Amazon’s foray into original comedy including Transparent and Mozart in the Jungle.
###
From The Hollywood Reporter:
ViacomCBS Chief Updates Staff on Layoffs, Cost-Cutting Measures
CEO Bob Bakish says the merged firm will "streamline our operations, manage our costs as diligently as we can, and follow through on our committed post-merger synergy targets."
As ViacomCBS keeps up its plan for $750 million in post-merger cost savings, CEO Bob Bakish on Wednesday sent a note to employees as an update on the company's progress.
"I know that even before the coronavirus pandemic, we were already in a period of significant change to integrate our newly combined company," wrote Bakish, adding that the company plans to continue "to integrate and streamline our operations, manage our costs as diligently as we can, and follow through on our committed post-merger synergy targets."
Staffers at ViacomCBS' advertising sales division as well as MTV News and other units were cut Wednesday as part of the ongoing restructuring. Executives at the Smithsonian Channel, Paramount Network, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon were impacted by the cost-saving measures as well.
On Feb. 20, the newly merged conglomerate, which has 20,000-plus employees, raised its planned cost-savings guidance from $500 million to $750 million over three years as it consolidates teams from Viacom and CBS media assets.
A month later, as a pandemic effectively shuttered Hollywood film and TV production, ViacomCBS warned in a March 27 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that the novel coronavirus would have a "material" impact on its business and said it was "also working proactively to offset a portion of anticipated revenue losses through cost-savings initiatives."
ViacomCBS cited "cancellation or rescheduling of sports events for which the company had broadcast rights, and production delays in television and filmed entertainment" and said it wasn't able to estimate the impact on future operating results.
In April, ViacomCBS became the latest Hollywood giant to launch a $100 million relief fund for workers who were impacted on halted film and TV productions. Bakish, in a note to staff at the time, said "funds will also support grants by the Motion Picture & Television Fund and The Actors Fund, as well as contributions to charitable organizations."
ViacomCBS plans to report its first-quarter earnings on May 7. Bakish's Wednesday memo is below.
Team,
I know these past weeks have been challenging, and have forced us to deal with major disruptions in our personal and professional lives. And I know that even before the coronavirus pandemic, we were already in a period of significant change to integrate our newly combined company — work that is helping us weather this crisis, creatively adapt and strengthen the resiliency of our business.
As I said at our last Bob Live, however, it’s critical that we continue these efforts to integrate and evolve ViacomCBS to remain competitive now and for the future. This means continuing to integrate and streamline our operations, manage our costs as diligently as we can, and follow through on our committed post-merger synergy targets.
Throughout this transformation, we want to be as supportive of our employees as possible, particularly given the circumstances we’re in. Some of us are saying goodbye to incredible team members and friends — people who have made lasting contributions to the success of our company and have enriched our culture. I want to assure you that we are focused on making their transitions easier at this time, while supporting the needs of all our employees and their families.
I realize you may have questions, and I look forward to answering them, and providing another update on our progress at Bob Live shortly after we report earnings next week.
In the meantime, thank you for your continued hard work and focus, and for everything you do to make our company better for our audiences, partners and communities around the world.
Please stay healthy and safe.
Best,
Bob
April 29, 4:50 pm PST Updated with more detail on divisions impacted Wednesday.
###
From the New York Post:
ViacomCBS layoffs continue amid merger integration
ViacomCBS has unleashed a fresh round of layoffs in the ongoing integration of Viacom and CBS, whose merger created the company in December.
ViacomCBS chief executive Bob Bakish sent an email to staff Wednesday after handing out pink slips that may have hit more than 100 workers, according to a source. The news pushed shares of ViacomCBS down nearly 9 percent, to $17.31, in midday trading Thursday.
Sources told The Post that staffers at ViacomCBS’ sales and marketing divisions, as well as employees at MTV News, Paramount Network, Nickelodeon and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” were let go. ViacomCBS did not comment.
The cuts included top execs such as Smithsonian Network president Tom Hayden and Comedy Central head of content and creative enterprises Sarah Babineau, according to media news site The Wrap.
“I know that even before the coronavirus pandemic, we were already in a period of significant change to integrate our newly combined company,” Bakish said in the memo.
The exec called the last few weeks “challenging,” referring to the pandemic, but said it is “critical that we continue these efforts to integrate and evolve ViacomCBS to remain competitive now and for the future.”
Cost-cutting has been the norm at ViacomCBS. The Post exclusively reported that just weeks after the two firms combined, Bakish began laying off employees in back office and corporate roles. In February, Bakish said the deal promises $750 million in cost-saving synergies over three years, up from his previous projection of $500 million.
That same month, the company laid off at least 117 East Coast staffers across 11 divisions, according to a layoff notice with New York state.
###
From TBI Vision:
ViacomCBS rejig continues with Jill Offman to depart
The extensive management rejig at ViacomCBS in the US has continued in the UK with the departure of Jill Offman, the former Comedy Central exec who was most recently EVP of ViacomCBS International Studios UK.
Offman arrived at Viacom via Paramount Network in 2007 and was promoted to oversee the channel and Comedy Central around the world, before assuming management of the UK arm of Viacom International Studios (VIS) last year.
She was upped to MD in October, expanding her remit to sourcing opportunities for Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Offman was then named EVP of ViacomCBS International Studios UK earlier this year as part of a restructure following Viacom’s merger with CBS and the arrival of Maria Kyriacou as president of ViacomCBS Networks UK & Australia.
Offman had been overseeing scripted development in her role, with projects including The Gold, Artemisia, Natalya, Sleepless and The Turkish Detective, and she will remain an exec producer on the drama slate folowing her departure.
Kyriacou said Offman’s “creative expertise and entrepreneurial spirit” had been “instrumental in achieving a host of transformative successes for Comedy Central, MTV and Paramount Network.” Her next move is not yet known.
Exit follows US restructuring
Offman’s exit, first reported by Broadcast, comes just a day after a slew of senior exec departures at ViacomCBS’s US operations, with Smithsonian Channel’s president Tom Hayden among those set to leave.
Around 100 staff have been affected Stateside, with Sarah Babineau, head of Comedy Central content & creative enterprises, and Lauren Dolgen, Paramount Network’s SVP of unscripted, among others exiting.
The revamp is part of an ongoing restructure at the company, which was implemented following the creation of ViacomCBS, and is part of a plan to save $750m over the next three years by merging its brands.
The company has already restructured much of its international business, which included breaking its ViacomCBS Networks International (VCNI) group into two brand divisions and three pan-regional management hubs.
###
More Nick: Nickelodeon Upfront 2020 Roundup!
Originally published: Thursday, April 30, 2020.
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