Universal film chief Donna Langley (left) is set to take control of content and creative ops across NBCUniversal’s portfolio of brands, as TV chief Susan Rovner (right) exits the company. The shakeup in leadership is the first major restructuring move made by Mike Cavanagh since he took over ousted Jeff Shell’s position atop the Comcast-owned media company.
NBCUniversal’s new TV boss discusses the excitement and uncharted waters around her expansive role as she readies the company’s post-COVID upfront presentation. (Damon Casarez photo)
Susan Rovner has finalized her Entertainment Content executive team on Tuesday, a few months after she joined NBCUniversal to lead its newly formed development unit. As part of today’s restructure, roughly 50 people will be leaving the company, with the majority coming from inside the division. There were additional cuts in scheduling, acquisitions and marketing.
Lisa Katz, Rod Aissa, Jenny Groom, Katie Hockmeyer, Tracie Wilson and Jen Neal will each oversee a wide swath of original content for Peacock, NBC, Syfy, USA Network, Oxygen, Bravo, E! and Universal Kids as part of the company’s consolidation. Layoffs will be next.
Former Warner Bros. TV President Susan Rovner is joining NBCUniversal in a new role in which she will oversee entertainment programming for a portfolio that includes NBC, Peacock and a suite of cable networks.
Following a lengthy public search, Warner Bros. TV President Susan Rovner has been tapped to oversee a programming portfolio that includes broadcast network NBC, streamer Peacock, as well as basic cable networks USA, Syfy, Bravo, Oxygen and E!.
Exclusives
As part of the ongoing WarnerMedia restructuring, Warner Bros. Television Group Chairman Peter Roth is consolidating the studio’s scripted and unscripted television production operations. On the scripted side, Warner Bros. Television and cable/streaming unit Warner Horizon Scripted TV are being consolidated into a new scripted division led by Warner Bros. Television Presidents Susan Rovner and Brett Paul. They will continue overseeing all scripted programming, reporting to Roth. Clancy Collins White has been elevated to a newly created position and will now have day-to-day oversight of all scripted program development for the new Warner Bros. Television, reporting to Rovner.
Longtime television executives Susan Rovner and Brett Paul have been tapped to become presidents of Warner Bros. Television, ascending from their most recent roles as executive vice presidents of the studio.
