Sandra Stern is stepping down as Lionsgate Television Vice Chairman. She is leaving TV business after 40 years.
Lionsgate’s Keith Warren Upped to EVP, Will Head TV Business Affairs Following Vice Chairman Sandra Stern’s DepartureChace Crawford & P.J. Byrne Star In Black Comedy ‘We Were Once Men’ In Works At Amazon, Jennifer Salke Exec Produces ‘The Boys’ Reunion Project, a 40-year TV veteran and one of the top business executives in the television industry over the last two decades, will be leaving her post as Vice Chairman at theGroup, after 23 years at the indie studio.
She will be stepping down at the end of March, segueing into a long-term consultancy to the TV Group.
“After more than 40 years, it’s time to see if there’s life after television,” she said. During her tenure at Lionsgate TV, where she was President of the TV Group before being promoted to Vice Chairman in 2022, Stern was known for crafting bespoke and innovative business models.
That includes creating deal framework for new entrants in the scripted space as Lionsgate TV produced the first original drama series for AMC withdeal, which essentially became the scripted series template of the early streaming era. The Hunting Wives , originally designed for a domestic run on Starz and a raft of international sales, to fit Netflix’s global rights paradigm.
Stern also was instrumental in Liongate TV getting into the broadcast business over the past five years with a business proposition that offers broadcast networks platform flexibility in exchange for a higher license fee. The indie studio is behind one of the biggest broadcast hits of that period, CBS’, and this pilot season, it is one of only three outside suppliers to land an order and the only one to snag two pilots, including ABC’sWeeds, the only original scripted series on USA Network, which recently transitioned from NBCUniversal to spinoff company Versant.
Lionsgate TV’s business spans streaming, broadcast, cable, FAST and digital media platforms.
“Sandra has been my friend, partner and protégé for the past 40 years,” Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer said. “She is an amazing strategist with unparalleled relationships with our partners, and few people understand our business as well as she does. Sandra has been a pillar of our studio’s growth and success for 23 years. Whatever she chooses for the next phase of her career, she will remain a valued and cherished member of our Lionsgate family.
” Known for her expansive Hollywood relationships — as well as her dedication to philanthropy — Stern played a key role in Lionsgate’s acquisition and integration of eOne, which brought in a roster of series titles, including ABC’s, as well as the minority investment in the UK-based talent management company 42, where she sits on the Board of Directors.
“I am so grateful to Jon for the empowerment, inspiration and support he has given me throughout my career as my boss, mentor and friend,” Stern said. “The 23 years I have spent with Jon, Kevin and the rest of the Lionsgate team have been the most personally and professionally rewarding for me, and the relationships I have formed and the friends I have made within my extended television family over my career made my decision to try something new a difficult one.
But I know that I am leaving our Television Group in an incredibly strong position, with a great slate of series, a robust creative pipeline and an exceptional team of executives to move them forward, and I am excited to explore other passions and embark on new adventures beyond the world of television. ”on February 19, 2026 2:17 pm I had the honor and privilege to spend over 30 years of my career in TV at Sandra’s side.
I couldn’t have asked for a better professor, mentor or friend. I have nothing but admiration for the way she ran her businesses and greatly admire all her philanthropic work. Welcome to retirement, Sandra. It’s grand!!!
I worked with Sandra years ago at New World. She was then and remains today one of the very best! One of the best. And, one of the few truly creative thinkers/negotiators. Always looking for a way to get to yes.
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