Silverman Out at NBCU

UNIVERSAL CITY: Jeff Gaspin is taking on an expanded position at NBC Universal to replace Ben Silverman, who is exiting as the co-chairman of NBC Universal Entertainment and forming a new business with Barry Diller’s IAC.

Gaspin has been tapped as chairman of NBC Universal Television Entertainment, effective immediately, giving him oversight of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios, in addition to all of his current duties. Gaspin currently has oversight for all of NBCU’s entertainment cable assets, as well as its interests in the A&E and History networks. He also oversees the company’s television distribution, including linear, digital and wireless, off-net syndication and first-run efforts, as well as the Telemundo broadcast network and its owned stations. 

With this new structure, all of NBCU’s TV assets—broadcast and cable, English and Spanish—are consolidated under one roof. Gaspin reports directly to Jeff Zucker, the president and CEO of NBC Universal. Marc Graboff will now serve as chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios (he was previously co-chairman with Silverman), reporting to Gaspin.

Silverman, meanwhile, is forming a new venture with Diller’s IAC. A press release announcing the as-yet-unnamed business says it aims to " unite producers, creators, advertisers and distributors under one roof and produce all forms of content for distribution across a variety of platforms around the world."

  Diller, the chairman and CEO of IAC, stated: "This new venture will take full advantage of all areas of Ben Silverman’s extensive media expertise—as an agent, producer and advertising innovator—to create a truly integrated and truly interactive new media production entity, a next-generation enterprise that bridges the gap between traditional television and the Internet."

Silverman added: "Media is being consumed across an increasing number of platforms, including TV, the internet, mobile, and DVR.  The next generation of media will be defined by the players who can capitalize on those trends and deliver integrated, compelling content across all platforms. Uniting advertisers and content creators will fundamentally improve quality and enable a fluid production and distribution model."

According to IAC and Silverman, NBC Universal will have a relationship with the new venture through platform partnerships and a potential investment. IAC will provide the initial capital for the new firm, but its results will not be consolidated with IAC’s.

On Silverman’s exit, Zucker noted: "Ben Silverman has many exciting things he wants to accomplish and we applaud him as he sets off on his new endeavors. Ben brought us tremendous new thinking in this changing media age, and we’re grateful for that. Now, we look forward to working with him in his new venture."