Senior Leader Who Joined Company In 2011 Will Head Up Key Distribution
And Business Development Functions
NEW YORK, NY, November 21, 2019 – AMC Networks today announced that Joshua Reader has been named president of distribution and development, a new role on the company’s senior management team. Reader, who joined AMC Networks in 2011 and was most recently the company’s executive vice president of business development, will now lead the company’s key distribution functions, in addition to business development functions. He will continue to report to president and CEO Josh Sapan.
In this new role, Reader will oversee the company’s distribution partnerships and strategy in the U.S., including the distribution of its national cable networks AMC, IFC, WE tv, SundanceTV, BBC America and BBC World News through affiliate partners and the distribution of AMC Networks’ owned and operated streaming services AMC Premiere, Shudder, Sundance Now, Acorn TV and UMC. He is also responsible for the company’s business development efforts, identifying new opportunities to grow the company through relationships with a wide range of current and potential business partners.
“Josh has established himself as an accomplished leader at AMC Networks and a valued partner to both his colleagues within our company and an expanding array of companies we work with every day that are core to our business, most notably our cable, satellite, telco partners as well as a growing list of new digital partners,” Sapan said. “He also has demonstrated a keen understanding of the future of media and the opportunities that exist for a world class producer of owned original content, which is our core strength and the activity that fuels our company in a dynamic and competitive environment. I look forward to working more closely with him in this new and extremely significant role.”
“AMC Networks has demonstrated a unique and outsized ability to produce content that captivates critics and fans and drives popular culture,” Reader said. “Our relationships with valued affiliate partners both help power the creation of this content and connect it to fans on a wide range of platforms. I am thankful for this opportunity to take a leadership position in managing these key relationships while also growing our business in new ways as the company continues to evolve as a premier producer of quality content in this changing landscape.”
Reader joined AMC Networks in 2011 as director of business development and advanced platforms, and was promoted to vice president of distribution in 2013 and senior vice president of distribution in 2014. In 2017 his role expanded and he was named senior vice president of distribution and new content partnerships, focused on traditional affiliate relationships and working with new platforms to grow the company’s suite of emerging niche streaming services. At the beginning of 2019, Reader was promoted to executive vice president of business development, with a focus on growing the company’s opportunities with current and potential business partners. Prior to joining AMC Networks, he practiced as an attorney at the law firm of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. He received his Juris Doctorate from Columbia Law School and his Bachelor of Arts from Brown University.
About AMC Networks
Known for its groundbreaking and celebrated original content, AMC Networks is the company behind the award-winning brands AMC, BBC AMERICA, IFC, SundanceTV, WE tv, and IFC Films. Its diverse line-up of popular and critically-acclaimed series and independent films include Killing Eve, Better Call Saul and The Walking Dead, which has been the #1 show on cable television for nine consecutive years, as well as Portlandia, Brockmire, Love After Lockup, and the films Boyhood, Death of Stalin, and many more. Its original series Mad Men and Breaking Bad are widely recognized as being among the most influential and acclaimed shows in the history of TV. The Company also operates AMC Studios, its production business; AMC Networks International, its international programming business; the subscription streaming services Shudder, Sundance Now, Acorn TV and UMC (Urban Movie Channel); and Levity Entertainment Group, the Company’s production services and comedy venues business. For more information, visit http://www.amcnetworks.com.