Mark Lazarus has been named chairman of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming in a broad organizational restructure, said Jeff Shell, CEO of NBCUniversal, on Monday.
Under his purview, Lazarus will have NBC Entertainment; Telemundo; all of the cable entertainment networks, including USA, Syfy, Bravo, Oxygen, E! and Universal Kids; international networks, and Peacock. Lazarus, who in January 2019 was named chairman, NBCUniversal broadcast, entertainment and lifestyle group, sports and news, also will continue to oversee the NBC Sports Group, owned television stations and affiliate relations.
“This is the right structure to lead NBCUniversal into the future during this transformational time in the industry,” said Jeff Shell, CEO, NBCUniversal, in a statement. “Mark has a proven track record across every aspect of our television business from sports to local stations to entertainment. He is the ideal leader to oversee our television and streaming portfolio in this newly formed division, which allows us to have a more unified approach to our content strategy.”
Cesar Conde, who has been overseeing Spanish-language media company Telemundo for NBCUniversal since 2015, will now serve as chairman, NBCUniversal News Group, which includes NBC News, MSNBC and CNBC.
“Cesar is a well-respected, strategic leader who has succeeded in multiple roles at NBCUniversal since joining the company in 2013. Most recently, Cesar has overseen unprecedented growth at Telemundo, which under his leadership has become the number one Spanish-language network, and through its news division has played a critical role in the expansion of news operations, breaking news coverage and trailblazing political reporting. Cesar’s valuable and relevant experience leading broadcast networks and news divisions, combined with his high degree of integrity and proven management skills, make him the right person to lead our news group into the future.”
Andrew Lack, who served as chairman NBC News from 2015, is exiting the company. Lack’s tenure had appeared shaky since the ouster of Today Anchor Matt Lauer after sexual misconduct allegations surfaced. Lack also faced criticism for pushing aside coverage of the Harvey Weinstein sexual assault allegations, which were first reported by Ronan Farrow for NBC and eventually won a Pulitzer Prize for Farrow at The New Yorker. Lack had been planning on staying through the 2020 president election, reported the New York Times.
Lazarus and Conde will both report to Shell. Reporting to Conde are Noah Oppenheim, president of NBC News; Phil Griffin, president of MSNBC; and Mark Hoffman, chairman of CNBC. A replacement for Conde will be announced later, and for now the Telemundo leadership team will report to Lazarus.
Continuing to report to Shell are Matt Bond, chairman, content distribution; Bonnie Hammer, chairman of NBCUniversal Content Studios; Kim Harris, executive vice president and general counsel; Kathy Kelly-Brown, senior vice president, strategic initiatives; Anand Kini, EVP and chief financial officer; Donna Langley, chairman, Universal Filmed Entertainment Group; Ron Meyer, vice chairman; Adam Miller, EVP; Craig Robinson, EVP and chief diversity officer; Tom Williams, chairman and chief executive officer, Universal Parks & Resorts; and Linda Yaccarino, chairman of advertising sales and client partnerships
The following executives will lead businesses reporting to Lazarus: Frances Berwick, president, lifestyle networks; Ken Bettsteller, president, international networks; Peter Bevacqua, president, NBC Sports Group; Philip Martzolf, president, NBCUniversal affiliate relations; Chris McCumber, president, entertainment networks; Valari Staab, president, NBCUniversal owned television stations; Matt Strauss, chairman of Peacock; and Paul Telegdy, chairman, NBC Entertainment.
READ MORE: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, The Wrap
Tags: andy lack cesar conde comcast mark lazarus nbc news nbcuniversal entertainment peacock telemundo