Comcast president Cavanagh shakes up NBCUniversal leadership

NBCUniversal is getting a major C-suite shake-up.

Comcast president Mike Cavanagh is undertaking a significant executive reorganization of NBCUniversal, giving expanded responsibilities to executives Donna Langley, Mark Lazarus and Cesar Conde, and cutting the number of direct reports he deals with on a regular basis to four operational leaders.

Langley, the chair of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, will now oversee all content for the company, including for streaming and TV. Her new title will be chairman of the NBCUniversal studio group & chief content officer.

Conde, the chairman of the NBC News Group, will add oversight of Telemundo, the company’s Spanish-language division, as well as the company’s local TV business. Lazarus will be chairman of the NBCUniversal media group, which will include oversight of advertising and distribution, as well as the business operations of the TV networks and streaming platforms, and NBC Sports.

Mark Woodbury will continue as a direct report to Cavanagh, overseeing the company’s theme parks and merchandising businesses.

As part of the reorganization, Susan Rovner, who had led TV and streaming entertainment content, will leave the company.

Rovner joined NBCU in October 2020 from Warner Bros. Television, where she had served as president of the studio under Peter Roth. At NBCU, Rovner’s role included oversight of streamer Peacock, NBC and cable networks including Bravo, USA Network, Oxygen, Syfy and E!, among others. While she managed the entertainment side, longtime NBCU cable exec Frances Berwick managed the business side of the same portfolio as the company split the creative from such areas as marketing and finance.

During her run, Rovner helped deliver hits including NBC’s Night Court and Peacock’s Poker Face, Paul T. Goldman as well as the unscripted hit The Traitors.

In addition, Berwick will become chairman of NBCUniversal entertainment, reporting to both Langley and Lazarus. Cavanagh will also work with a small number of corporate leaders, including general counsel Kimberley Harris; CFO Anand Kini; communications, HR and operations executive Adam Miller; and Craig Robinson, executive VP and chief diversity officer.

The move comes a little more than two months after the firing of NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell shook the company, with Cavanagh, a veteran Comcast executive and Brian Roberts protégé, adding oversight of the entertainment business.

Cavanagh’s elevation, which the company described as interim at the time, sparked rumors that Langley could find herself with a bigger role at the company, or perhaps even take on the CEO title. Lazarus and Conde had also been cited as potential successors. However, Comcast is not expected to name a new CEO for NBCUniversal in the near future, with Cavanagh, who is seen as a possible successor to Roberts, continuing to oversee NBCU through the new executive structure.

In recent years, Langley focused on building a varied slate as the theatrical business transformed amid coronavirus pandemic pressures, with high concept swings such as Cocaine Bear, horror hits like M3GAN and rom-coms such as Ticket to Paradise, while also delving into the video game genre with the $1 billion grosser Super Mario Bros. Movie and keeping legacy franchises going with Fast & Furious. She also helped lure Christopher Nolan to the studio, with the filmmaker’s Oppenheimer due out July 21.

The executive began at Universal in 2001 as senior vp production and rose to Universal Pictures chairman in 2013.

Langley is well known for building relationships with talent, which may prove to be critical as she adds oversight of NBCU’s TV studios, as well as the NBC broadcast network and Peacock. Giving Langley oversight of the TV content businesses could also, potentially, make it easier to exploit the company’s film IP for TV or streaming.

Lazarus who oversees NBCU’s TV and streaming businesses, had in recent months taken over NBCU’s ad sales business following the departure of Linda Yaccarino, and its sports division, following the departure of Pete Bevacqua.

Peacock has had a good year, growing to more than 22 million subscribers, although its losses continue to grow, as well.

Conde, the former head of Telemundo, took over NBC News group in 2020 after the exit of Andy Lack. THR