Programming chief leaves AMC Networks in revamp

David Madden chooses to exit as another executive takes over cable firm’s production studio.

David Madden is leaving his post as programming president for AMC Networks and its production studio as the cable company continues to consolidate its operations.

AMC Networks announced Tuesday that its production arm AMC Studios — which makes the long-running hit “The Walking Dead” and its spinoffs — is being moved into its entertainment networks group run by Sarah Barnett. Madden chose to depart from the company after the move.

AMC Networks — which includes cable channels AMC, Sundance, IFC and BBC America — has moved to a more centralized management structure since Barnett’s appointment in November 2018. Barnett had been president of BBC America, where she developed the critically acclaimed series “Killing Eve.”

While the publicly traded New York company’s financial performance has remained steady — it beat earnings estimates in its last quarterly report — AMC has been under pressure from a systemic decline in traditional TV viewing due to competition from streaming services.

AMC’s biggest long-running hit, “The Walking Dead,” is also seeing its audience shrink as it ages, and the network has yet to come up with a comparable performer in the ratings, a task that is increasingly difficult with the current fragmentation of the TV audience.

Madden joined AMC in late 2017 after a long run at 20th Century Fox, where he oversaw entertainment for the Fox Broadcasting Co. Before that he was president of the Fox Television Studios.