AMC Networks names Kristin Dolan, wife of owner, as CEO

Better Call Saul

AMC Networks has appointed Kristin Dolan, board member and wife of company owner James Dolan, as CEO.

Dolan takes up the role on 27 February and comes after previous incumbent Christina Spade, the former CFO, stepped down in November 2022 after just three months at the helm. She in turn took on the position in September from interim boss Matt Blank, who replaced CEO Josh Sapan in 2021.

Company chairman, and Dolan’s husband, James Dolan, stepped in as interim executive chairman at the Better Call Saul and Fear The Walking Dead firm after Spade exited during the search for a permanent replacement.

The new CEO takes the reins during a challenging time for AMC Networks, which announced plans to cut around a fifth of its US workforce and implement “significant cutbacks in operations, at the end of last year.

The company, which operates flagship AMC network and Sundance TV, as well as platforms AMC+, Acorn TV, Shudder, Sundance Now, ALLBLK and HIDIVE, has struggled to make the move into streaming and is facing pressure from stalling subscriber growth.

Shows such as Demascus, Moonhaven and Pantheon have been dropped, with Dan McDermott, AMC Networks’ president of entertainment and AMC Studios, recently calling the content cuts a “difficult but important process” and said that the US firm must “take stock and recalibrate”.

Fear The Walking Dead

Proven executive

Dolan most recently served as CEO of 605, the audience measurement and data analytics firm that she founded in 2016, where she led all day-to-day business operations including key client relationships, product development, sales, research, finance, legal and marketing.

Prior to that, she held various roles at Cablevision, from which AMC Networks was spun-off from in 2011, including as chief operating officer, in which role she led all the company’s cable operations with oversight including sales, customer service, field service, programming, marketing, product management and human resources. She also had oversight of Cablevision Media Sales, the company’s advertising sales division.

“Kristin is a proven executive and operational leader with a track record driving organisational change, a history managing subscription-based businesses, and a deep understanding of audience engagement and advertising,” said James Dolan.

“These are areas of critical importance as we transform our company and monetise our high-quality content. With her considerable experience and knowledge of the company, Kristin is the ideal person to lead AMC Networks into its next chapter as we navigate this transformative period in the industry.”