New NBCU Layoffs Affect Entertainment Networks Staffers

Amid the ongoing NBCUniversal restructuring, additional layoffs are being enacted across the television and streaming division’s entertainment networks business. The cuts, being implemented today, impact fewer than 5% of employees in the division helmed by Frances Berwick, according to a source familiar with the matter.

And more job cuts are likely to occur in early 2021 on the content side of the business, which is now under the purview of new TV and streaming programming chief Susan Rovner, who joined the company last month.

The personnel reduction is part of the planned changes that NBCUniversal, and comes on the heels of several rounds of leadership reshuffling at the entertainment giant, which has included the exits of execs such as USA Network and Syfy boss Chris McCumber and longtime programming exec Bill McGoldrick, who had most recently served as head of programming for NBCU’s streaming service Peacock. NBC Entertainment chief Paul Telegdy was ousted in August amid allegations of misconduct, while his unscripted lieutenant Meredith Ahr, exited last month.

Berwick, who previously oversaw lifestyle cable channels such as Bravo and E!, now oversees daily operations across all NBCU networks and dayparts, commissioning and acquiring programming that will work across platforms, and implementing “creative windowing and scheduling strategies” across both broadcast network NBC and NBCU’s cable networks.

Separately, on Tuesday, NBCUniversal outlined Rovner’s leadership team. That announcement included the appointment of Lisa Katz as the sole head of scripted content (in the wake of Tracey Pakosta joining Netflix as head of comedy), and the splitting of unscripted content into two areas.