Heads roll in Channel 10’s boardroom: Executives are sacked from streaming division as ratings slide

Channel 10’s parent company, American media giant Paramount Global, has sacked a number of local executives, including the head of its streaming division.

Vice president of streaming Liz Baldwin, vice president of operation Frank Filosi and at least seven other senior employees have been let go.

The redundancies are part of a move towards a more global approach to broadcast content, reports the Australian Financial Review.

Channel 10’s parent company, American media giant Paramount Global, has sacked a number of local executives, including the head of its streaming division. (Pictured: The Project hosts)

Ten’s chief content officer Beverley McGarvey will become head of Paramount+ in Australia, while commercial officer Jarrod Villani will be Australia’s regional lead.

It comes after Natasha Exelby become the latest high-profile presenter to announce her departure from Channel 10 on Tuesday.

Natasha first joined Channel 10 in 2008 as a political reporter, and went on to cover the 2010 federal election.

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Vice president of streaming Liz Baldwin (pictured), vice president of operation Frank Filosi and at least seven other employees have been let go, reports the Australian Financial Review

She then became a host of the breakfast show Wake Up alongside Natarsha Belling and James Mathison in 2013, but was dropped after three weeks.

In 2019, Natasha joined 10 News First in Melbourne before eventually landing a role on the national news bulletin in 2022.

For the last few years, she was also a regular panelist on Studio 10.

Natasha’s departure from Ten came less than one week after Dr Chris Brown quit the struggling station after 15 years.

It comes after Natasha Exelby (pictured) become the latest high-profile presenter to announce her departure from Channel 10 on Tuesday 

The 44-year-old signed a deal with Seven and will officially join in July to produce ‘new projects’ for Channel Seven and 7Plus.

Natasha and Chris are the latest in a string of major departures from Ten, following the exits of The Project hosts Carrie Bickmore, Lisa Wilkinson and Peter Helliar.

Senior staff have also been following the on-air talent out the door, including the network’s long-serving publicity boss Sarah ‘SJ’ Johnson.

Dejected employees said last year the station feels like ‘a sinking ship’ and the workplace is ‘lacking direction and morale’ – although network reps insist Ten’s parent company Paramount Global is in good financial shape.

Natasha’s departure from Ten came less than one week after Dr Chris Brown (pictured) quit the struggling station after 15 years

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‘There are going to be a lot more resignations to come… Ten feels a bit like a sinking ship,’ one staffer told Daily Mail Australia, adding that morale had been on a critical slide ‘for some time’.

‘It feels kind of rudderless. Like there’s not a lot of direction and the network can’t seem to figure out exactly what it wants to be.’

Adding to the general discontent is the network’s hit-and-miss programming which leans heavily on reality TV formats, another staffer said.’Some like Survivor and, at a pinch, MasterChef, work but a lot of them don’t,’ the source said. ‘There seems to be so much that bombs.’

Natasha and Chris are the latest in a string of major departures from Ten, following the exits of The Project hosts Carrie Bickmore (centre), Lisa Wilkinson and Peter Helliar (left)