A year ago, A+E Networks renamed itself A+E Global Media, as part of a strategic shift that reduced focus on its linear TV channels and shifted toward its studio and content businesses.
The company, which owns brands like History, A&E and Lifetime, as well as a production studio, a number of FAST streaming channels and stakes in companies like Range Media Partners, is literally kicking off the pre-2026 conversation on Wednesday with a virtual pitch to Madison Ave.
“Last year, we introduced A+E Global Media to reflect the full depth and breadth of our identity: a multi-faceted global media and entertainment company, which is reflected in the strength and scale of our global content, talent and platforms,” Buccieri says. “Today, we continue to evolve on this foundation – delivering iconic programming across the most popular genres and on every screen. Global talent chooses our trusted brands as the home to tell their stories. This passion, mixed with purpose, is why audiences come back again and again.”
The company unveiled a programming slate on Wednesday that draws on star talent and producers, which includes bold names like Kevin Bacon, Jim Belushi, Dolph Lundgren, Queen Latifah, Ted Danson, Taraji P. Henson and Taye Diggs. And while the programming may debut on its linear pay TV channels, the company now sells it across streaming, digital and social platforms as well.
“We do business the way clients want to do business,” says Toby Byrne, president of A+E Media Solutions, in an interview with the magazine. Hollywood Reporter. “We’re still doing a lot of deals based on traditional audiences, and we’re doing more and more with innovative solutions that ensure business outcomes or strategic audiences. I think at the end of the day, the company has really evolved quite a bit over the last few years. Maybe you can draw the line when Paul Buccieri took over.”
In addition to the roster, A+E has introduced a new brand studio, called Storyground, which will work with advertisers to create custom content that can live across its ecosystem of platforms; It is launching a creator partnerships programme, focusing on social creators in genres relevant to its programmes. Tiff Baira, who created a social dating show, is working with Lifetime in the first partnership of its kind.
“We started with Lifetime and History,” says Juliana Stock, head of marketing and digital services at A+E Global Media. “I think there are a lot of commonalities in terms of how we work and what’s important to creators.” “Authenticity is very important to them and it’s very important to us. The program we’re launching will include digital marketing and sales, where creatives drive broader brand storytelling across their social platforms, as well as ours. I think their audiences are important leads. That’s definitely one reason – they’re also incredibly creative, and we enjoy working with creative people.”
Byrne says the company was leaning into its overall audience and offering high-quality services to stand out in an increasingly consolidated market. The bet is that when marketers decide where and how they want to spend their money, the personal element can win business.
“When we talk to our partners, we really take pride in the kind of outstanding service we provide to them,” Byrne says. “I think we’re more nimble because we’re not as big as some media companies. We work at a certain speed, and through it all, we never lose sight of the value that we have to deliver to be competitive. So I think that’s what comes through — our desire to be innovative, with how we secure business, and our passion for developing creative partnerships.”
In fact, A+E, like other media companies in this space, vouches for results alongside traditional measurement metrics, a nod to what marketers now expect from where they spend their budgets. Despite its linear TV heritage, it now sells to its audience across every platform.
“We sell by the value of the total audience we reach to the advertiser,” Byrne says. “Our cross-platform reach is more impactful than any one element, our indirect audience represents more than half of our total audience now. So leveraging our total audience and all of our distribution endpoints, digital and linear, is important so we can deliver the greatest impact to our advertisers.”
Of course, A+E is launching into the primary market at a complicated time for the media company. Last summer, co-owners Disney and Hearst began exploring options for the media company. Although it is not clear what discussions have emerged from this process, ongoing mergers and acquisitions across the industry suggest that changes may be coming sooner rather than later.
