Yahoo Finance David Nevins In Talks To Oversee Paramount+ Scripted Content; Will Shed CBS Chief Content Officer Role
David Nevins’ footprint at ViacomCBS is about to get a whole lot more digital, again.
The man of many titles over at Shari Redstone’s shop is about to lose one and get a one, if you get what I mean? Deadline has confirmed that Showtime boss and CBS Chief Content Officer Nevins is in talks of taking on a major role overseeing content for Paramount+. The new gig would be streamlined to primarily focus on scripted content for the streamer, I hear.
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“Out of his successes at Showtime, David has shown he has the skills required to evolve Paramount+’s originals to where (Bob) Bakish and others want it to be in the next couple of years,” a source close to the situation told Deadline.
Other genres and avenues of content at Paramount+ will fall under the prevue of a coterie of as yet to be revealed executives. The unveiling of the emerging Paramount+ bench will likely occur in the next couple of weeks with the likes of sports, unscripted and others receiving their own content czars, so to speak. Among the names in the mix are MTV Entertainment Group President Chris McCarthy to possibly oversee YA/unscripted and Brian Robbins, President of Kids & Family Entertainment, to oversee kids/family programming.
Long executive musical chairs made short: Nevins is not going to be put in charge of all content at Paramount+, but he will be losing the CCO medal he’s been wearing since 2018 Whether or not Nevins retains his BET Networks oversight perch too is still in flux, I’m told. The decision may come down to exec himself and a unsentimental assessment of his total workload.
Variety were first to report the news of Nevins on the cusp of an expanded role at P+, as ViacomCBS execs like to internally call the streamer.
ViacomCBS did not respond to request for comment on the always ambitious Nevins’ potential new job, nor who else is in the running for content slots at the Tom Ryan-led Paramount+
Out of the foundations planted by CBS All Access over the past seven years and a shift rebranding, Paramount+ was launched with great fanfare and a deep library on March 4 this year. The scope of the Star Trek rich streamer’s aspirations in the increasing packed online space was evident in their February 24 pre-launch virtual presentation.
In many ways, Nevins’ new position and that of TBD execs shouldn’t be much of a surprise. A keen corporate operator who has survived and flourish under several regimes since joining CBS in 2010, no one thought Nevins would stay on the streaming sidelines long after relinquishing tentacles on CBS All Access last year. Adding flame to the fire of ViacomCBS’s internal Game of Thrones, there was that memo that Ryan sent out last month.
Accompanying word that longtime CBSer Julie McNamara was exiting as P+ EVP and Head of Programming, the May 27 correspondence from Ryan directly spoke of having “more to share in the coming weeks on our content structure.”
David Nevins is part of that structure coming into focus clearly for the ViacomCBS Streaming chief – one way or another.
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