A+E Networks has promoted Patrick Vien to Group Managing Director of International, while Edward Sabin has decided to move on from the cable giant. Vien and Sabin were previously co-Executive Managing Directors, International. Vien will now take over control of the international portfolio, based in New York and…

PR veteran Susan Ievoli has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Public Relations for History, from her previous role as Vice President, Publicity. In her new role, Ievoli will be responsible for History's trade and consumer communications strategies with oversight of the network's bi-coastal press team, program…

A+E Networks has promoted six executives in its ad sales unit, according to Peter Olsen, EVP of Ad Sales at the cable programmer. "A+E Networks is one of the nimblest portfolios in all of cable with an unrivaled sales team," Olsen said in the official announcement. "We are proud to announce the promotion of six proven…

EXCLUSIVE: Damian Lewis' spy documentary series is heading to the Smithsonian Channel. The network, which is a joint venture between CBS Corporation's Showtime and the Smithsonian Institute, is on the brink of closing a deal for Damian Lewis: Spy Wars (w/t). Deadline understands that top brass are keen to keep the…

UPDATED with AT&T’s response. Another cable network group is facing a potential blackout on AT&T platforms, including DirecTV. A month after Viacom was able to hammer out a new carriage agreement with AT&T after very tough negotiations, averting a blackout, A+E Networks find itself in a similar position. In an…

Wrestling legends “Macho Man” Randy Savage, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Booker T, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels will be profiled in five two-hour documentaries under A&E Network’s Biography banner as part of a deal with WWE Studios. The iconic WWE superstars will be profiled with new and archival interviews and…

President George W. Bush opened the A+E Networks upfront in New York with an elaborate plug for upper-case History (the network) and lower-case history (the discipline). The 43rd U.S. president never mentioned President Donald Trump by name. But he critiqued “America first policies” and treatment of immigrants. He…

A&E Network has set a four-part special on Garth Brooks under the umbrella of its mainstay Biography franchise and also greenlighted competition series Top Dog, a canine showcase from the team behind Live PD. Garth: The Road I'm On (working title) is slated to air in the fourth quarter of this year. It will highlight…

As part of A+E Networks’ suite of upfront announcements, History said it is teaming with Sylvester Stallone to develop the drama series The Tenderloin (working title). The show comes from A+E Studios in association with Balboa Productions. Stallone, who has seen a career resurgence in recent years thanks to the Creed…

History has green-lit nonfiction series The UnXplained (working title), which is hosted and executive produced by William Shatner. It has also slated new docudramas about George Washington and food, and brought back In Search Of and Evel Live for second go-rounds. The announcements were made during the A+E Networks…

EXCLUSIVE: A+E Networks has promoted UK executive Dan Korn to oversee its free-to-air channel Blaze as the U.S. cable giant eyes international expansion for the brand. Korn joined A+E as Vice President of Programming in October 2016. He will now assume the role of head of Blaze in addition to this role and will…

Channel 4 has ordered a UK version of Ghost, a moving documentary format where terminally ill people deliver a message to their families from beyond the grave. The series is based on the A+E Networks format Voices From the Grave that is in development for A&E by Simon Andreae's Naked TV. The British broadcaster has…