The media and entertainment industry is at a crossroads. Legacy systems, shrinking budgets, and evolving audience behaviors have created significant challenges, putting immense pressure on organizations to adapt. To truly thrive in this shifting landscape, media companies must reimagine the way they function—from the ground up. A surprising, yet vital driver of this change is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), whose role is becoming increasingly essential in driving resilience and accelerating time to value for the industry.

Traditionally seen as the “bean counters” of the organization, ensuring budgets are balanced and compliance is met, CFOs have undergone a significant evolution. Today, they are at the forefront of decision-making, leveraging data-driven insights and strategic foresight to guide their companies through technological and organizational transformation. In the M&E industry, where agility and innovation can be the difference between thriving and surviving, CFOs are not just participants—they are key drivers of modern, efficient businesses.

The New Power Seat in the C-Suite

In progressive media organizations, CFOs have expanded their reach and stepped far beyond their traditional financial boundaries. They now play a central role in shaping corporate strategy, guiding system overhauls, and fostering collaboration across departments. The CFO’s scope has expanded to include HR, IT, operations, and beyond, ensuring that transformation efforts are efficient and result in meaningful, long-term growth.

This shift marks a structural evolution in leadership. The CFO is uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between financial planning and operational execution, aligning every function of the business to a shared vision. For media companies, this role is particularly critical, given the complexity of managing intellectual property, scaling content production, and navigating the transition to new revenue models such as SaaS and subscription-based platforms.

From Siloed Systems to Seamless Platforms

Modern CFOs play a key role in facilitating technology transformation in the M&E industry. Outdated legacy systems no longer support the speed, scale, or sophistication required in today’s environment. CFOs are critical in steering the decisions needed to modernize these systems, working alongside other leaders to leverage modern business platforms that unify operations, provide real-time insights, and enable agile decision-making.

But this isn’t just a technical challenge—it’s also a cultural one. Implementing shared systems requires breaking down entrenched silos and fostering a culture of collaboration. CFOs are key leaders in this transition, ensuring that every department—from finance to content operations—works towards a shared purpose. By driving intelligent investments, CFOs are transforming their organizations into streamlined, future-ready businesses.

FP&A: The New Strategic Engine

CFOs are also elevating the role of Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) teams. These teams are no longer just crunching numbers—they are acting as strategic partners, modeling scenarios, assessing risks, and driving decisions in collaboration with other C-suite leaders like the CTO and CRO.

For example, the shift from perpetual licensing to SaaS-based revenue models presents unique challenges, such as:

• Calculating the ROI of cloud migration initiatives.
• Balancing short-term disruptions with long-term value creation.
• Maintaining audience engagement during transitions.

CFOs and their FP&A teams are at the heart of these discussions, using intelligent analysis and insights to ensure that every decision aligns with the company’s goals and delivers sustainable growth.

Enhancing Efficiency and Customer Experience

The role of the CFO extends beyond internal processes to directly impact the customer experience. Inefficient financial systems can lead to billing errors, contract delays, and fragmented data—all of which create barriers for customers. CFOs are addressing these issues by integrating finance, sales, and support systems, creating seamless workflows that result in faster responses, clearer contracts, and better overall customer experiences.

In the M&E industry, where audience expectations are higher than ever, these improvements are crucial. Every unnecessary delay risks lost revenue or disengaged audiences. By resolving these inefficiencies at the source, CFOs are helping their organizations stay competitive in a rapidly changing market.

CFOs: The Architects of Modern Media Businesses

The media organizations that thrive in the next five years will be those that overcome technical debt and embrace true operational flexibility. CFOs are not only well-equipped to lead this transformation—they are crucial to its success.

With their ability to bring disciplined investment, strategic clarity, and a comprehensive understanding of enterprise performance, CFOs are uniquely positioned to drive change. They recognize the risks of inaction and understand that transformation goes beyond technology; it’s about uniting people, systems, and resources around a shared and inclusive vision for growth.

At Dalet, we are proud to partner with CFOs around the world who are reimagining what’s possible. They are CFOs 2.0, and they’re not waiting for transformation to happen—they’re driving it.