NBCU Reorganizes TV & Streaming Businesses

NBCUniversal has reorganized its television networks and streaming platforms, with Frances Berwick to lead the entertainment business unit and Paul Telegdy exiting the company.

The reorganization creates a more centralized structure, with distinct and horizontally integrated business units that will share resources and staff, reporting directly to Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming.

The direct-to-consumer unit will be led by Matt Strauss, who will continue to oversee Peacock. Peacock will maintain its own separate team within the division while sharing the programming and acquisition function with the entertainment units in the portfolio. International Networks, run by Ken Bettsteller, and Fandango, run by Paul Yanover, will also report to Strauss.

The entertainment business unit will report to Berwick, who will now be in charge of the programming strategy and content spend across the TV entertainment brands. Berwick will have operational oversight of all networks and dayparts and be responsible for commissioning and acquiring content to be optimized across these platforms. Additionally, Berwick’s team will implement creative windowing and scheduling strategies across the NBC broadcast network and the cable entertainment networks. Previously, Berwick ran the lifestyle networks (Bravo, E!, Oxygen and Universal Kids).

The entertainment programming unit will consist of distinct content groups: scripted programming, unscripted programming, late-night and alternative. It will have primary oversight of all original entertainment programming for the NBC broadcast network, the cable entertainment networks and Peacock. The company is in the midst of a search for the leader of this unit.

Telegdy, chairman of NBC Entertainment, is leaving the company.

NBC Sports will continue to be led by Pete Bevacqua.

Telemundo Enterprises, led by Beau Ferrari; the NBCUniversal owned television stations, led by Valari Staab; and affiliate relations, led by Phil Martzolf, will continue to report to Lazarus and operate as separate business units within the portfolio.

“We have an unparalleled portfolio that is now in an even stronger position to drive growth for the business. With the power of NBC and the broadcast model, coupled with the strong cable entertainment brands and the new addition of Peacock, we have massive scale and a deep library of valuable content that can live across platforms,” said Lazarus. “We are incredibly fortunate to have some of the most talented executives in the industry-leading the charge and am confident that we are poised to win in this competitive landscape.”

Several additional executives have been promoted to Lazarus’s headquarters team whose functions will support the entire division. These include finance, led by Christy Shibata; human resources, led by Brian Dorfler; business development, led by Dave Pietrycha; and legal, led by Andra Shapiro.