AMC Networks Ups Christina Spade To CEO Post; Patrick O’Connell To Take On CFO Role

deadline.com:

AMC Networks has appointed COO and CFO Christina Spade as its new CEO, succeeding Matt Blank, who has held the role in an interim capacity since last September.Patrick O’Connell, previously a senior executive at CBS Corp and Goldman Sachs, has in turn been named Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, reporting to Spade.Blank will remain with AMC Networks until the end of the year in a consultancy role, a spokeswoman confirmed.AMC Networks operates cable channels such as AMC, plus streaming services AMC+, Sundance Now and Acorn TV.

Spade will lead them all from September 9 when she steps into the new role.Today’s development marks a fast rise for Spade at AMC Networks.

She has been with the New York-headquartered operations since January 2021, where she joined as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and took on a dual role as CFO and COO in November last year.During that time, she has worked under Blank, who was named interim CEO last September as previous Chief Exec and President Josh Sapan moved to an Executive Vice Chairman position.

While the network is known for launching influential cable hits such as Better Call Saul, The Walking Dead and Mad Men, Showtime veteran Blank has focused heavily on building out the streaming business, which currently has an aggregate of 10.8 million subscribers and is expecting to hit 20-25 million in 2025.The hire comes at a time of change for AMC Networks.