Bonnie Hammer Shakes Up NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment

02.09.2016

NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment Chairman Bonnie Hammer on Tuesday restructured the organization to more aptly handle the challenges of the current content climate. A big part of the reorg is around creating a more centralized reporting structure that will be able to develop and create content for the whole organization and send it through relevant pipelines.

Bill McGoldrick is moving up from Syfy's executive VP of original content to executive VP of scripted content for NBCU's entire cable group, which includes Bravo, Chiller, Cloo, E!, Esquire, Oxygen, Sprout, Syfy and USA. In his new role, McGoldrick will oversee original scripted programming for all of these networks, reporting to Jeff Wachtel, NBCU Cable's chief content officer and head of Universal Cable Productions.

McGoldrick's new role represents the company's effort to create a more efficient process for writers, producers, agents and talent to pitch NBCU's cablers, reports Variety. In this way, shows can be bought based on their creative potential and placed on the network where McGoldrick and his team think they have the best chance of success.

"Shows crossover so easily now," Hammer told Variety. "Now the determination won't be made because of the president who put it into development but rather where the show should live in our group based on reach, demos and monetization options."

Syfy and Chiller President Dave Howe will be president of strategy and commercial growth, overseeing business affairs and business development for all of the networks in the NBCU Cable group.

Day-to-day oversight of Syfy will move under USA Network President Chris McCumber, who will now be president of a new Entertainment Networks group that includes USA, Syfy, Chiller and Cloo. Marketing and publicity duties, among other areas, are expected to be consolidated across those four networks, signaling layoffs to come.

The reorganization is just the latest in a series of move to build the company to reflect the current TV environment, and create a more centralized and efficient approach to running NBCU's cable portfolio. Former USA Co-President Wachtel changed jobs in 2013, followed by a roll-up of Bravo, Oxygen, E! and Esquire into the Lifestyle Networks group under Frances Berwick in 2014. As part of this latest change, Berwick will add kids' network Sprout to her purview.

"We have been trying to figure out a structure that makes sense when you look at what is happening in cable at large, and how content is developed, sold and monetized domestically and globally," Hammer told Variety.

Among other changes, USA Executive VP Alexandra Shapiro, who had so much success with USA's splashy and innovative campaigns for Mr. Robot, will oversee marketing across the new Entertainment Networks group, while Katherine Nelson will serve as senior VP of communications. Sandra Schron, formerly a marketing vice president at USA, will now be senior VP of marketing production for the group, tasked with streamlining the production of marketing materials for all channels and reporting to both McCumber and Berwick.

By the end of Tuesday, news of layoffs already was coming in, with The Wrap reporting that "as many as 10 employees were laid off across the NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment Group, including five at E!

Brief Take: As skinny bundles, a la carte packages and SVOD services take hold, networks matter less than the content that airs on them. NBCU Cable's reorganization is an attempt to build a business that reflects the current viewing environment.

Read more: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, The Wrap

[Image courtesy of Variety]