AMC Networks Entertainment Group President Sarah Barnett will step down after Labor Day. Following her departure, the company’s Entertainment Networks, which includes AMC, BBC America, IFC and Sundance TV, and AMC Studios will report to AMC Networks Chief Operating Officer Ed Carroll on an interim basis.
Barnett’s departure comes at a difficult time for linear television and especially basic cable with advertising, the prospects of which were further affected by the coronavirus pandemic, which cut advertising spending. His departure also comes to a halt for his division. The announcement follows Tuesday’s Emmy nominations, where AMC Networks garnered two of the eight best Emmy-nominated drama series nominated with AMC. Better call Saul and BBC America / AMC’s Killing Eva, the only non-premium / broadcast series to hit the cut in the top drama category this year.
Related story
AMC Networks Executive Vice President Tom Halleen leaves Dean Post University
Like most linear television companies, AMC Networks has been shifting its focus to streaming. Earlier this year, the company announced that it had surpassed 2 million subscribers for its four streaming services, including Shudder, Sundance Now, Acorn TV, and UMC (Urban Movie Channel).
“This is a year that has confronted us with radical change on multiple fronts,” said Barnett. “After much consideration, and with a somewhat heartbreaking heart, I have decided that the time is right to continue my curiosity and leave things in the very capable hands of the excellent team at AMC Networks.”
Earlier this year, Barnett warned that broadcast wars and the push toward data-driven startup would damage television quality. Speaking at TCA, he said: “Optimization breeds imitation. If something needs to work as well in India as it does in America, then everything starts to look the same. If you try to talk to everyone, you won’t be able to say much to anyone. “
Barnett continued, who did not elaborate on his future plans: “Forming stories and connecting them with the public alongside brilliant people inside and outside this company has been a unique joy and privilege for the past 11 years. Ed Carroll and Josh Sapan gave me many opportunities to build great brands and take creative risks in the search for an exciting television, I am very grateful for that. I am leaving with gratitude and great affection to all my colleagues at AMC Networks who will continue to do and do great things. ”
Carroll is an AMC veteran. He was president of entertainment services for AMC Networks before being named chief operating officer in 2009. Some of the top executives who will continue in their roles after Barnett’s departure include Dan McDermott, who recently joined as poriginal programming resident and co-chair, AMC Studios; and his lieutenants Ben Davis, EVP scripted programming for AMC Studios and Entertainment Group; and Kristin Jones, EVP International Programming and Programming Innovation.
In 2014, as head of BBC America, she was the pastor of the female-fronted spy drama Killing Eva, written by the then relatively unknown Phoebe Waller-Bridge, whose break Flea bag It had not yet reached the screens.
“Sarah came to AMC Networks more than a decade ago when we acquired the Sundance Channel,” said Carroll. “She immediately put her stamp on Sundance with shocking new stories like Rectify and Top of the lake which continued when he took over the reins of BBC America, growing Orphan Black, the network’s natural history franchises and the development of critical and public success Kill Eva. At AMC, he expanded the growing franchise of The Walking Dead while greenlighting new shows including Kevin Can F *** Himself and 61st Street, And she formed a strong team to meet the changing nature of our business. Sarah is one of the most versatile executives I’ve had the pleasure to work with: an expert in programming, branding, and teamwork, all with an eye on the business of a rapidly changing entertainment landscape. She is also a truly progressive leader. We will miss her at AMC Networks. ”
Barnett joined the company after acquiring SundanceTV (then called the Sundance Channel) in 2008 as senior vice president of marketing. She was promoted to President and CEO in 2009 and launched the network’s scripted strategy, with the Golden Globe winner. Charles followed by a list of bustling titles. After the company’s joint venture with BBC Studios in 2014, Barnett was named president and CEO of BBC America, overseeing the channel’s transformation with the award-winning series. Killing Eva and success ratings for Black Orphan, Doctor Who and historical BBC natural history series, including Planet earth ii and Seven worlds, one planet.
In his current role, Barnett directed the next series. The Walking Dead: World Beyond and the new productions from AMC Studios with the green light 61st Street from executive producer Michael B. Jordan, Kevin Can F *** Himself from executive producers Rashida Jones and Will McCormack, and science fiction drama Pantheon, The first animated series on the net.
Brit Barnett, an art history student at the University of Warwick in the UK, spent the first 12 years of her career working for the BBC in London.
