PBS president and CEO Paula Kerger has signed a 5-year contract extension with the company. Kerger made the announcement at the network’s summer Television Critics Association press tour. (Variety)
Kerger has been with PBS since 2006. During her tenure, PBS has moved from the 14th most-watched network in the United States to No. 6, thanks to shows like Downton Abbey and programming events like Ken Burns’ The Vietnam War. (THR / Live Feed)
PBS also announced on Monday that it closed a carriage deal with YouTube TV, granting customers the ability to livestream 330 PBS member stations. The deal marked the first digital partnership of its kind for PBS, making YouTube TV the only streaming service to carry the network’s channels. (TheWrap)
Kerger has been the longest-service president and CEO in PBS’ history. She also serves as president of the PBS Foundation, an independent organization that raises private sector funding, a significant source of revenue for new projects at PBS. (Deadline)
While PBS is preparing to celebrate its 50th anniversary in a time of unprecedented change in the TV industry, it is careful to focus even more on what is already great about its brand. “The more important question is, rather than what changes, is what needs to stay the same,” Kerger said at the TCA press tour on Monday. (Adweek)