E!’s Kevin Plunkett to Lead Lionsgate-New Regency TV Venture

LOS ANGELES/MIAMI: Kevin Plunkett has been tapped to serve as executive VP and head of television for the newly formed TV-production joint venture from Lionsgate and New Regency.

Plunkett, who will be based at New Regency’s Century City offices, will report to a joint board of the two companies. He will work closely with Lionsgate and New Regency executives to mine New Regency’s library of high-quality IP and generate new ideas for original programs that can be sold across all platforms for premium content. Lionsgate will distribute series from the joint venture in all media worldwide.

Most recently, Plunkett was the senior VP of scripted programming for E! and led the channel into scripted entertainment. He developed and oversaw the hit show The Royals, from Lionsgate and Universal Cable Productions. Prior to E!, Plunkett spent nearly seven years at ABC Entertainment Group.

“Kevin is a gifted and highly experienced creative executive with a track record of successful series, and our team has enjoyed working with him on numerous projects, most recently on our hit drama The Royals,” said Kevin Beggs, the chairman of Lionsgate Television Group. “We know from our work with Kevin that his experience developing fan-favorite shows coupled with New Regency’s assets is a winning combination that will lead to high-quality, buzzworthy series that networks will want and audiences will love.”

“Kevin is a well-respected programming executive with excellent relationships throughout the industry and the perfect creative fit for this endeavor,” added Yariv Milchan and Jonathan Fischer, New Regency’s chairman and COO, respectively, in a joint statement. “New Regency has an extensive library of classic and beloved properties and we are very pleased that our production joint venture with Lionsgate will allow many of those stories to continue on television.”