Anthem has put Frank Tanki in charge of AXT TV and HDNet Movies, which the company acquired from Mark Cuban last year.
As General Manager of AXS TV and HDNet Movies, Tanki will oversee all business strategy and day-to-day operations, including programming, sales, operations, creative, marketing, communications, research and human resources.
“This is an incredible opportunity to help lead AXS TV and HDNet Movies forward into the future,” Tanki said. “I was fortunate enough to work with Len and many of the talented members on the AXS TV and Anthem teams over the past few months, getting a first-hand look at the amazing assets in place–not only at AXS TV and HDNet Movies, but across the broader Anthem spectrum. AXS TV is already such a great brand and I look forward to driving new areas of growth with both partners and consumers alike, as we work to build best-in-class partnerships and further establish our strong relationship with the fans.”
Tanki, who had been working with Anthem for the past several months, had previously been at Viacom where he had a variety of roles including general manager of TV Land and CMT, as well as marketing roles with Spike TV and Nickelodeon.
Steve Harvey was a partner in the deal with Anthem Sports and Entertainment. Cuban launched HDNet in 2001, a time when most linear TV networks were still airing in standard definition formats. The channel was re-launched in 2012 as AXS TV with the backing of AEG, Ryan Seacrest Media and CAA.