CBS president and CEO George Cheeks made a stern declaration Wednesday at NAB Show New York, after a top-level station affiliate executive said that ABC and CBS would soon join NBC in giving the 10 p.m. hour back to their station constituents to program.

“We are committed to 10 p.m. and continuing our ratings success in that time period,” Cheeks said in a statement provided to Deadline.

Also read: NBC Once Again Ponders Giving the 10 p.m. Hour Back to Its Affiliates

The trade publication had reported from the NAB event earlier Wednesday remarks made by Hearst Television CEO Jordan Wertlieb. NBCUniversal conceded last month that it was seriously pondering a retreat from the 10 o’clock hour.

Asked in a panel session if he thought ABC and CBS would do the same, Wertlieb remarked, “I expect they will and I hope they will.”

Wertlieb also suggested that all three major networks, “Take those resources and invest it in a really strong 8 to 10 block and the entire ecosystem improves.”

Earlier this month, NBCU CEO Jeff Shell confirmed that NBC is pondering the change, but he said no decision has been made.

“We’re evaluating a lot of things,” he said. “I mean, when you look at the investment in Peacock — as I mentioned most of the investment is for our own programming putting it on Peacock — but if we’re being prudent operators, which we try to be, right, if you’re allocating a bunch of resources to one part of the business, you have to look at the allocation of resources to another’s. I don’t think we’re ready to make any decision on 10 o’clock or anything else.

“We have a lot of great shows at 10 o’clock,” Shell added. “We make a lot of money at 10 o’clock. We still have a lot of viewers at 10 o’clock. There’s no question throughout the day as linear declines, you’re going to have to make some trade-offs and we’ll be looking at that as our investors would want us to look at.” ■

ViacomCBS said it unified its global management structure, giving responsibilities for both the U.S. and international arms of their businesses to Chris McCarthy, Brian Robbins and George Cheeks.

McCarthy will head the MTV Entertainment Group. Robbins will be in charge of Nickelodeon and the kids and family businesses. Cheeks, head of CBS branded businesses, will be responsible for global content strategy for the company's free-to-air networks around the world.

Also Read: ViacomCBS Gets 'Historic' Price Increase as it Finishes Upfront

All three executives were named president and CEO of their units and will continue to report to Bob Bakish, CEO of ViacomCBS and work closely with Raffaele Annecchino, president of ViacomCBS Networks International.

International brand leadership will be realigned under this new structure, the company said.

Last week, the three executives were given additional responsibilities for programming ViacomCBS’s streaming services Paramount Plus and Pluto TV.

“These changes enable a truly global approach to brand management, content acquisitions and licensing across ViacomCBS’ networks around the world,” said Bakish. “With a global reach of 4.1 billion cumulative homes in over 180 countries, our globally aligned leadership structure will ensure that our internationally recognized brands and content are ubiquitous across every platform and every market.” 

The company said that Dan Cohen, president of Viacom CBS Global Distribution Group, will add oversight of distribution for ViacomCBS International Studios. He will also oversee all content licensing and distribution globally.

Also Barbara Zaneri assumes the title of chief program acquisition officer for ViacomCBS across its linear, streaming and pay platforms.

She will continue to report to McCarthy.

ViacomCBS said it has named former NBCUniversal executive George Cheeks as president and CEO of its CBS Entertainment Group, replacing Joseph Ianniello and ending days of speculation surrounding its leadership.

Cheeks will start his new job on March 23. A former Viacom executive -- he served as an EVP at the programmer prior to joining NBCU in 2012 -- he most recently served as vice chairman of NBCUniversal Content Studios. In his new role, Cheeks will lead CBS-branded assets, including CBS Television Network, which encompasses CBS Entertainment, CBS News and CBS Sports, CBS Television Studios and CBS Television Stations and CBS’ first-run syndication business. He will also partner with the ViacomCBS digital organization on the CBS-branded digital assets, including CBS All Access. He will report to ViacomCBS CEO Bob Bakish.

“I am thrilled to welcome George back to the family at this exciting moment for ViacomCBS,” Bakish said in a press release. “Throughout his career, George has built broad experience in broadcast and studio operations and brings a unique mix of skills – combining deep commercial expertise and industry relationships with strong creative and programming capabilities. With his finger on the pulse of culture and change and his strong grasp of strategy, brands, audiences and content monetization, George will help CBS build on its position as the most-watched broadcast network and drive results across the entire CBS portfolio.

The Cheeks hiring has been expected for weeks. Ianniello, who has been with CBS since 1997, was expected to leave shortly after the broadcaster completed its merger with Viacom. That deal was completed in December, and since then Ianniello has been named as a possible participant in the auction for Spanish-language broadcaster Univision. 

“I am incredibly honored to join the stellar CBS team and help lead these incredible brands forward,” Cheeks said in a press release. “From news to sports to entertainment, CBS sets the standard, and I look forward to building on this tremendous foundation as we find new and innovative ways to deliver CBS to audiences worldwide.”

Ianniello said he would help with the Cheeks transition, but offered no insight into his future plans.

“I am very pleased to be able to leave CBS well positioned for long-term success,” Ianniello said in the press release. “Throughout my 22-year tenure I have always said that the quality and integrity of the people of CBS are what make it great. We have extraordinary employees at all levels of this organization, and I couldn’t be prouder of how they do their jobs day in and day out. Working with Bob, I now look forward to ensuring a smooth transition to the next phase of leadership of CBS, so that the Eye can continue to thrive, just as it has for so long.”