Donna Langley Elevated at NBCUniversal in C-Suite Shake Up Connected to Cable Spinoff

by

As a long-time gamer and movie enthusiast, I’m thrilled about the changes happening at NBCUniversal. Donna Langley‘s meteoric rise at Universal Studios is nothing short of inspiring, especially as a woman in the industry. Her ability to keep the Fast & Furious franchise alive and thriving, along with securing Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer, is a testament to her talent and tenacity.

NBCUniversal is planning significant adjustments in its top management and television division, as it reshuffles its executive structure in line with its strategy to split off the majority of its cable channels.

“I’m stepping up my game! Donna Langley, the NBCUniversal Studio Group chairman and chief content officer, is set to shoulder even more responsibilities as she takes on the role of Chairman for NBCUniversal Entertainment and Studios, as per a memo from Comcast president Mike Cavanagh to staff this morning.

Additionally, the company has reassigned roles for some top executives. Matt Strauss, who heads Comcast’s direct-to-consumer (DTC) business, has been appointed as Chairman of NBCUniversal Media Group. In this role, he will oversee sectors such as sports, advertising sales, and distribution while still managing the DTC segment. Meanwhile, Adam Miller, a seasoned communications chief, is set to assume the position of COO at NBCUniversal.

According to a memo from Comcast President Mike Cavanagh, Cesar Conde will no longer manage CNBC but will collaborate with him on other expansion projects for NBCUniversal. Mark Woodbury, Universal Experiences chief, Craig Robinson, NBCU’s Chief Diversity Officer, and Kim Harris, General Counsel, will all keep their current positions.

As a devoted admirer, I’m thrilled to share that last year, Langley, who stands as the sole female head of a significant legacy Hollywood studio, ascended to the position of chief content officer. This role granted her an expansive authority, encompassing television, streaming platforms, and film production alike.

Langley’s recent promotion to lead NBCU Entertainment and Studios is an extension of her previous promotion last year, making it official. With Mark Lazarus leaving to manage a cable spin-off venture, Langley will now make key decisions for the greenlight across NBCU as a whole, and have complete control over all entertainment programming and marketing on Peacock, Bravo, and NBC – including primetime and late-night shows. Furthermore, she will continue to supervise the global creative strategy, business operations, production, acquisitions, marketing, and distribution for our collection of renowned Film and Television Studios, as detailed in Cavanagh’s memo.

Langley’s rapid ascent at NBCU is a result of his successful tenure, which includes managing one of the longest-running winning streaks ever seen at Universal’s esteemed film production company.

For approximately ten years, she held the position as chairman for the Universal Filmed Entertainment Group. Last year, the film studio surpassed Disney in domestic market share, thanks in part to Illumination’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Christopher Nolan’s award-winning film and box office sensation Oppenheimer. She managed to persuade Nolan to work with Universal after he ended his partnership with Warner Bros., and she is currently producing his next movie for them. Additionally, she played a crucial role in keeping the Fast & Furious series going strong. Langley is also instrumental in bringing the hit Broadway musical Wicked to the big screen, with Wicked being the first of two films based on this popular stage production.

Following today’s announcement of a cable split, several channels including MSNBC, CNBC, Syfy, E!, Oxygen, Golf Channel, and USA Network will be reorganized into a new publicly-traded company. This new entity will be led by Mark Lazarus, who has been appointed as its CEO. Meanwhile, Comcast will continue to own NBC, Peacock, and Bravo – a network known for creating popular reality shows that are also available on their streaming platform.

Initially, Comcast proposed the idea for a cable spin-off only a few weeks back. However, the announcement made on Wednesday indicates that things might have progressed faster than initially expected.

Georg Szalai contributed to this report.

Read More

2024-11-20 16:54