Nancy Dubuc, the president and general manager of the History Channel, is set to replace Andrea Wong as head of Lifetime Entertainment Services, multiple individuals in the industry told TheWrap Friday.
Even before Wong confirmed her exit Friday, Dubuc had been seen as a likely candidate to take the top spot at Lifetime once A&E Networks took control of the channel last year. Such speculation was batted down for months, since Wong was still in place.
But with Wong on the way out, the path is now clear for Dubuc to take over, people familiar with the situation said. Hollywood agencies and cable industry insiders Friday were already talking about Dubuc’s ascension in terms of "when" not "if."
That said, the board that oversees Lifetime — which includes reps from A&E Networks, Hearst and Disney — must officially authorize such a move. There’s also the matter of a finalizing a new employment deal, as well as the question of whether Dubuc would run both History and Lifetime.
Dubuc has been a superstar at History, turning the sleepy cable network into an unscripted powerhouse with shows such as "Ice Road Truckers" and the more recent "Pawn Stars." She had previously helped re-create A&E with "Growing Up Gotti" and "Intervention."
A rep for A&E Networks declined to comment on speculation about Wong’s successor.
