Dan Cohen named Paramount head of worldwide TV licensing

Dan Cohen has been appointed president of worldwide television licensing and will oversee global licencing and distribution of all Paramount films, TV series and other content across multiple platforms.

Cohen will lead the television licencing teams in setting global strategy and distribution opportunities. He reports to Paramount COO Andrew Gumpert.

Prior to joining the studio, Cohen spent 20 years at Disney/ABC, where he most recently served as executive vice-president of pay television and digital sales for home entertainment and television distribution for The Walt Disney Studios and distributed catalogue and properties including Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, ABC and Disney Channel to businesses worldwide.

While at Disney/ABC, Cohen secured two significant pay television deals – Netflix in 2012 and Starz in 1999 – negotiating exclusive, multi-year deals and licensing agreements. 

“I’m thrilled to bring aboard a seasoned executive like Dan, who was the force behind some of the most important pay-tv licensing deals in our industry,” Gumpert said. “He has a proven track record of growing the business while discovering the ideal distribution platforms for content. I look forward to working with him to maximise our revenue opportunities for Paramount’s films, series and catalogues.”

Cohen added: “The television licensing business is constantly evolving, with new content platforms emerging. I’m privileged to help Andrew and the incredibly strong domestic and international teams in place at Paramount take full advantage of all the new and traditional opportunities.”