Channing Dungey Promoted to Oversee TV Networks at Warner Bros.

In a major change to Warner Bros. Discovery‘s C-suite, Channing Dungey will take over control of the company’s U.S. TV networks later this year, as current chairman and CEO of U.S. Networks Kathleen Finch will retire.

Dungey currently serves as CEO of the Warner Bros. TV Group, and will add oversight of the networks when Finch retires at the end of the year.

WBD’s U.S. networks group includes TNT, TBS, Food Network, HGTV, Discovery Channel, TruTV, and Investigation Discovery, among many others. Finch is a 25-year veteran of the company (including her time spent at Discovery and Scripps), joining in 1999 as a Food Network executive. She added oversight of the former Turner networks in 2022 when Discovery and WarnerMedia merged to create Warner Bros. Discovery.

Finch talked to The Hollywood Reporter about her plans for TNT and TBS, including scripted and sports content, in 2022.

Her retirement and Dungey’s elevation comes amid a moment of transition for WBD’s linear TV business. The company earlier this month took a $9.1 billion impairment charge on its linear networks, noting the changed economics and difficult landscape.

And WBD is in litigation with the NBA after the spots league opted to sell rights packages to Disney, NBC Sports and Amazon, rejecting WBD’s bid to match the Amazon package. NBA programming is a backbone of TNT, with additional coverage also set to come to TruTV (TNT Sports has one season left on its NBA deal).

“There is no one better at developing captivating content, compelling talent, and meaningful lifestyle brands than Kathleen, who has been my partner as we built our premier entertainment networks at Discovery and created Warner Bros. Discovery as an unscripted powerhouse,” said WBD CEO David Zaslav in a statement. “While I understand her long-standing decision to retire, I will certainly miss her, as will the entire company, which has benefitted from her unmatched collaboration and unique understanding of what our audiences crave.”

“Channing is an unparalleled creative executive who has shepherded countless award-winning hit shows. She has the ideal expertise and experience – as a content developer, platform programmer, and network executive – to lead the US Networks,” he added.

“It has been an honor to spend the past 25 years at Scripps, Discovery, and now Warner Bros. Discovery. I began my journey at the fledgling Food Network and am so proud to have helped turn it into a cable powerhouse, and then to lead the team developing some of the most addictive unscripted franchises across HGTV and TLC, creating household names out of chefs and house flippers, and capturing the cultural conversation with real-life stories,” added Finch. “The greatest joy, and the part I will miss the most, is the incredible people with whom I get to work every day. Starting with David and throughout the organization and of course all the amazing on-air talent, this is one of the smartest and most creative groups imaginable. I am so proud of what the US Networks group has accomplished together, and I know under Channing’s leadership there are many successes to come.”