As WBD Gears Up for Its Cable Network Spin-Off, Diddy & Baylen Dupree Emerge as Ratings Power Players
EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros Discovery is in the middle of a loud process to sell its studios and streaming business, a move that also will see the creation of Discovery Global, which will house its cable networks.
The latter, which will be run by current WBD CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels, will comprise networks including TLC, Discovery Channel, HGTV, TNT, Investigation Discovery, TruTV, Animal Planet and Cartoon Network as well as CNN.
The mood in the camp should be buoyed by the fact that its collection of cable networks was able to launch 18 of the top 25 new cable originals in 2025, outside of news and sports, per Nielsen. See the full list below.
The company is touting the fact that for adults ages 25-54 — a slightly different metric to the oft-used 18-49 — it scored the biggest new show of the year with TLC’s Baylen Out Loud, eight of the top 10 and four of the top 10 ad-supported cable networks.
The top 10 also included Investigation Discovery’s The Fall of Diddy, HGTV’s The Flip Off and TLC’s The Baldwins.
“Our networks are all about creating the shows fans love, whether it’s focused on relationships, true crime, cooking competitions, home transformations or adult animation,” said Howard Lee, Chief Creative Officer, U.S. Networks, Warner Bros Discovery. “Next year, we’re turning it up even more with thousands of hours of new content across our brands to keep audiences engaged and entertained, while also delivering advertisers unmatched opportunities.”
Non-WBD titles in the top 25 included Bravo’s Denise Richards’ Wild Things, USA Network’s Everything on the Menu, Bravo’s Next Gen NYC, A&E’s Florida Heat and Homicide Squad NOLA and Bravo’s Love Hotel and Wife Swap: Housewives.
Baylen Out Loud was both the No. 1 freshman series among adults and women 25-54 in primetime. The series, which comes from Michael Levitt Productions, follows Baylen Dupree, a young woman with Tourette syndrome, along with her parents, five siblings and fiancé. It premiered in January and was quickly renewed for a second season.
