David Levy has been named president of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., setting in place the new management team that will succeed current CEO Phil Kent, who announced his retirement last month. John Martin, now CFO of parent Time Warner, will become Turner Broadcasting CEO at year-end.
In his new post, Levy, who is currently president for advertising, distribution and sports at Turner, will also oversee the company’s entertainment and animation and young adults network, putting him in charge of TNT, TBS, Turner Classic Movies, Cartoon Network, Boomerang and Adult Swim, plus their digital brand extensions.
“David is an extraordinary executive with a broad range of experience in just about every aspect of our business,” Kent said in a statement. “His imagination and audacity echo the spirit of Turner’s founder and namesake, and he inspires great teams to do their best work. Having worked closely with David for over 17 years, I know his capabilities and potential, and had planned to add to his already-considerable portfolio oversight of every aspect of our domestic entertainment and kids businesses, which represent well over half of our operating profit.
“John Martin and I discussed the future of Turner and this new structure upon the announcement of John’s appointment as the company’s next CEO. With his enthusiastic support, we agreed David will provide outstanding leadership to his longtime colleagues Steve Koonin and Stu Snyder, and will be a significant managerial asset to John, as CEO, and Turner.”
In a statement, Levy said: “I’m looking forward to leading Turner Broadcasting alongside Phil and John Martin, and I appreciate their confidence in me for this important role. I have invested more than 25 years in our company. That cumulative experience affords me a unique understanding of our capabilities and a vision for how I’ll work with Steve Koonin and Stu Snyder and the great entertainment and animation networks teams, and with our colleagues in the revenue and sports units, to continue to evolve and grow Turner.”
Levy began his career at Turner as an ad sales account executive in 1986. He rose through the ranks, becoming the company’s first president of international ad sales in 1998.
