AMC Networks Inc., airer of TV programs including The Walking Dead, said Christina Spade has stepped down as chief executive officer, an abrupt departure less than three months after she took the top job.
(Bloomberg) — AMC Networks Inc., airer of TV programs including The Walking Dead, said Christina Spade has stepped down as chief executive officer, an abrupt departure less than three months after she took the top job.
The board “is currently finalizing who it will name as a replacement,” according to a statement Tuesday. No reason was given for Spade’s departure. She is entitled to a severance of around $10 million, along with restricted stock units and other awards, according to an earlier filing outlining her employment agreement.
The change continues a leadership revolving door. AMC, known for its flagship cable channel along with brands such as IFC and SundanceTV, had been run by Josh Sapan before a similarly sudden exit last year. Matt Blank served as interim CEO before Spade, AMC’s former chief operating officer and chief financial officer, was named the top executive effective Sept. 9.
“The news is a complete surprise,” said Doug Creutz, an analyst at Cowen & Co. With no apparent successor lined up, Creutz expects AMC shares to be under pressure until the company “can reassure investors that Spade’s exit was not related to any financial-related issues.”
The stock fell 10% at 9:30 a.m. in New York, its biggest drop in more than three weeks. The shares had fallen 40% this year through Monday’s close.
Turnover at the top adds to the challenges faced by AMC, which is shifting to the streaming age as cord-cutters drop their cable packages. While online subscriptions to AMC+ and the company’s other services jumped 44% last quarter from a year earlier to 11.1 million, total sales dropped 16% on lower licensing revenue, advertising and fees from pay-TV companies. A similar blow to profits has roiled other parts of the media world, contributing to the downfall of Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Chapek earlier this month.
Adding to AMC’s woes, one of its most popular programs just ended its run. Its zombie apocalypse show concluded its 11th and final season on Nov. 20, and the company has struggled to find another hit of that scale. Three Walking Dead spinoffs are in the works, AMC said earlier this month. The company is also banking on a collection of programs based on the works of author Anne Rice, including Interview With the Vampire.
AMC Networks, not to be confused with movie theater company AMC Entertainment, is controlled by the Dolans, one of the most influential families in the cable-TV industry. The Dolans also run Madison Square Garden Sports Corp., which owns basketball’s New York Knicks and hockey’s New York Rangers, and control the company behind Madison Square Garden.
(Updates with severance in second paragraph, analyst commentary in fourth.)
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2022 Bloomberg L.P.
