Paramount Pictures restructuring

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Viacom announced its Paramount division is reorganizing its home entertainment and licensing divisions and placing them under one roof. That means combining its DVD and Blu-ray disc sales division and online video licensing group into one department.


Reports say the change was made because of decreasing DVD sales and an increase in demand for online video streaming.

“This new structure will allow us to more effectively take advantage of worldwide opportunities, adjust to the changing marketplace and propel us forward on a unified, global basis,” Paramount Pictures CEO Brad Grey said in a statement.

The studio says the single organization will be based at its HQ in LA, dubbed “Home Media Distribution.” It will now oversee its home entertainment, digital licensing and television licensing activities worldwide.

Paramount Digital Entertainment will now be folded into other divisions of the studio. The unit’s responsibilities include online game and creation content, and iTunes and Facebook distribution. Amy Powell, EVP/Interactive Entertainment, will add the creation of content for digital and online games to her current responsibilities.

Paramount will centralize global theatrical management oversight in LA as well. Marketing and sales functions currently performed locally in territories worldwide will remain unchanged.

Josh Greenstein and Megan Colligan will be promoted. Greenstein, co-president of Domestic Marketing, is now Chief Marketing Officer for the studio, overseeing all marketing efforts through all distribution channels for the studio worldwide. Colligan, also co-president of Domestic Marketing has been promoted to President, Domestic Marketing & Distribution. She’ll now oversee all domestic theatrical distribution and marketing for the studio.

LeeAnne Stables, EVP/Worldwide Marketing Partnerships, will assume responsibility for licensing of traditional video games. Both Powell and Stables will continue to report to Colligan.

Dennis Maguire, formerly president, worldwide home entertainment, has been promoted to president, worldwide home media distribution, reporting to Vice Chairman Rob Moore.

Greenstein and Colligan will continue to report to Moore. Colligan will also report to Greenstein on marketing. Hal Richardson, currently president, Worldwide Television Distribution, will take on the role of president, Home Media Distribution, reporting to Maguire. Don Harris, EVP/Sales, is being promoted to president, Domestic Theatrical Distribution, and will assume President/Domestic Theatrical Distribution Jim Tharp’s day-to-day responsibilities, reporting to Colligan.

In addition, Thomas Lesinski, president of Paramount Digital Entertainment, is out and the division he oversaw will be folded into the other divisions. Tharp retires as of June 2012.