Paramount head of int’l Kevin MacLellan out following merger close

Kevin MacLellan

Kevin MacLellan, who served as Paramount Skydance’s president of international and global content distribution, is leaving the company following its merger with Warner Bros Discovery.

The veteran distribution exec had been with the company since summer 2025, when Skydance completed its acquisition of Paramount Global. Variety was the first to report the news.

MacLellan was one of several former NBCUniversal executives recruited by Jeff Shell, who exited his post as president of Paramount Skydance earlier this year following a lawsuit brought by a Vegas gambler called RJ Cipriani.

In his role, MacLellan had overseen a portfolio spanning Paramount’s distribution arm and international assets such 5 in the UK and Network 10 in Australia.

His departure comes two days after Paramount Skydance completed its merger with Warner Bros Discovery to form Skydance.

Together, the merged company has a massive distribution library and multiple coveted assets in markets around the world. With MacLellan’s departure, it is unclear who will be placed in charge of the international division.

Gerhard Zeiler, who ran international for Warner Bros Discovery, is also expected to step away from the company to pursue political ambitions in his native Austria.

Earlier on Thursday, Skydance announced that Warner Bros distribution head David Decker would lead content sales at Skydance, with Jay Askinasi leading ad sales and Ray Hopkins overseeing distribution of Skydance’s domestic networks.

Outside of the US, Skydance’s networks and platforms fall under JB Perrette, who serves as co-chair and chief business officer of Skydance TV and co-chair and chief business officer Skydance direct-to-consumer. Decker, Askinasi and Hopkins will all report to Perrette.