He’s a familiar name to broadcast media industry leaders with CBS Television Network affiliations. And, he’s staying on at the newly reborn Skydance to handle distribution matters for all of the company’s broadcast and cable television properties.
Ray Hopkins, formerly the President of U.S. Networks Distribution at Paramount, will now serve as President of Distribution at Skydance, which is not only the parent of CBS-branded cable and over-the-air channels but also the former MVPD-distributed channels under the Warner Bros. Discovery banner.
Hopkins’ new role comes as David Decker has been selected to serve as President of Content Sales, while the Chief Revenue Officer of Advertising position has been given to Jay Askinasi.
All three individuals report to Skydance TV and direct-to-consumer co-chair and Chief Business Officer JB Perrette.
“By combining our strengths and uniting our teams, we will build on the incredible legacies of both companies to serve audiences and partners in new and more innovative ways and shape an even more ambitious future,” Perrette said in a statement. “Jay, David and Ray are hugely talented and respected leaders with deep experience, strong industry relationships and a shared commitment to our partners and our people. There is tremendous opportunity ahead of us, and I look forward to working closely with them as we build the next generation media and entertainment organization.”
Hopkins assumed his most recent role at Paramount in December 2019, following the close of the merger between Viacom and CBS Corporation. In that position, Hopkins was responsible for Paramount’s cable, premium and broadcast television portfolio. And, more familiarly to broadcast television leaders, he was also responsible for all distribution deals for the CBS Television Network to more than 40 affiliated television station groups throughout the country.
That was a role he also held as President of Television Networks Distribution for CBS, earned in June 2013; that role saw Hopkins handle locking in new retransmission and affiliation agreements for CBS’s broadcast stations and cable networks, including the CBS Television Network, Showtime Networks, CBS Sports Network and Smithsonian Networks.
Hopkins is an industry veteran, and from 2005-2013 was Chief Operating Officer for YES Network, the New York Yankees-aligned cable TV sports network. Before that, he was Executive VP of Affiliate Sales and Marketing for Gemstar-TV Guide (from 2002 to 2004). Prior to that, he was at FOX Cable Networks, where he held the role of Sr. VP of Affiliate Sales and Marketing. He also oversaw retransmission consent deals for all FOX owned-and-operated stations.
Hopkins began his career at CNBC when the cable news channel launched in 1989.
