Skydance is moving fast to lock in the leaders who bill advertisers, license content and manage distribution. JB Perrette, co-chair and chief business officer for Skydance TV and direct-to-consumer, has signed a new contract and immediately named three executives into revenue-facing roles. He is one of several leaders on David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz’s top team to re-sign as the merged company sets its structure.
The revenue side goes first
Perrette’s new direct reports cover the businesses that bring money in. David Decker becomes President, Content Sales; Jay Askinasi is Chief Revenue Officer, Advertising; and Ray Hopkins is President, Distribution. Decker’s appointment arrives ahead of Mipcom, the international TV market, which signals how urgent the content sales calendar is.
- Content Sales: David Decker, President
- Advertising: Jay Askinasi, Chief Revenue Officer
- Distribution: Ray Hopkins, President
The restructuring has already produced an exit. Kevin MacLellan, previously President of International and Global Content Distribution at Paramount, is leaving as a result of Decker’s appointment.
Why the sequence matters
Perrette’s portfolio spans global distribution, advertising sales, content sales, DTC strategy, marketing and business operations across the Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery assets Skydance now owns. By filling revenue roles before content leadership decisions are complete, Skydance is telling the market that monetisation gets clarity first.
Insiders told Deadline the revenue divisions need their houses in order “sooner rather than later,” while content divisions continue to work through personnel decisions. It is a practical sequence for a merged company: advertiser relationships and distribution agreements cannot wait for creative org charts.
Perrette’s track record
Perrette is not new to streaming economics. At Warner Bros. Discovery he served as CEO and President of Global Streaming and Games, one of David Zaslav’s top lieutenants, and worked closely with Casey Bloys as HBO Max scaled. Bloys handled content; Perrette handled business. That pairing now informs his Skydance role, where he will also work with George Cheeks, co-chair and chief content officer for Skydance TV.
The length of Perrette’s new contract is not clear. Bloys, who has a close working relationship with Perrette, signed a five-year deal earlier this month.
What media teams should read from this
For buyers and sellers, the move promises continuity on the commercial side while content strategy sorts itself out. A named advertising revenue chief usually means sales priorities are being set; a content sales president ahead of Mipcom means global licensing has a single point of contact.
The risk is on the content side. Programming and franchise conversations may face slower decisions until the creative side completes its reshuffle. Keep commercial conversations anchored with the new named leaders, but build longer lead times into content asks.
Source: Deadline
