Josh Sapan, CEO of AMC Networks, leaves his position after 26 years

After 26 years in his position, Josh Sapan is stepping down as CEO of AMC Networks. Matthew Blank, senior advisor to Raine Group and former head of Showtime, will serve as interim CEO. Sapan will become executive vice president of AMC Networks.

Over the course of those 26 years, the 70-year-old executive is credited with creating some of the most influential entertainment brands and programs in what is known as the “Golden Age” of modern television, including such era-defining and critically acclaimed dramas as Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, The Walking Dead, Rectify and Killing Eve; the historical natural history series Planet Earth II and Seven Worlds, One Planet; the groundbreaking comedies Portlandia, Documentary Now! and Brockmire; and the flagship series franchises Love After Lockup and Growing Up Hip Hop.

Under his leadership, AMC Networks went from a declining network focused on airing classic movies to a television production company taking risks with critically acclaimed programs.

In addition, the group grew with subsidiaries such as AMC, BBC America (operated through a joint venture with BBC Studios), IFC, SundanceTV, WE tv and IFC Films, and its fast-growing targeted streaming offerings, including the AMC+ premium streaming package, Acorn TV, Shudder, Sundance Now and ALLBLK.

Separately, Sapan has been instrumental in bringing independent films to mainstream audiences through its IFC Films division, which pioneered a same-day theatrical and VOD release strategy that has fundamentally altered film distribution in the United States. The company is home to the IFC Center, the art house cinema located in the heart of New York’s Greenwich Village, and is behind DOC NYC, the largest documentary film festival in the United States.