NBC Universal Realigns Ad Sales, Ties Broadcast Flagship More Closely to Cable

NBC Universal is making more changes, this time assigning ad sales for its flagship broadcast network to a group that also handles various cable networks, part of a series of reassignments creating ad sales divisions for entertainment, lifestyle and live programming. The moves come after NBC Universal took the company's wares to market in the upfront under one unified umbrella, under President-Ad Sales Linda Yaccarino, for the first time. While deals ultimately got done and the strategy was accepted by media buyers and advertisers, buyers complained that the sheer size of NBC Universal's portfolio made the process difficult and slower than usual. Today's move aligns ad sales for NBC even more closely with its cable siblings. Jim Hoffman, exec VP-sales and marketing for NBC Entertainment, will now report to Dan Lovinger, who was named to lead the newly created entertainment unit within ad sales. Mr. Hoffman had previously reported to Ms. Yaccarino. The Ad Sales Entertainment Group will also handle USA, Syfy and WWE programming. Mr. Lovinger previously oversaw Bravo, Oxygen and Style. The Ad Sales Lifestyle Group -- to include Bravo, Oxygen, E!, Esquire, Cloo and Chiller -- will be led by Laura Molen, who had overseen networks including USA, Syfy, WWE, E!, Cloo and Chiller. Live programming -- which includes sports, the Olympics and news -- will be led by Seth Winter, who had led sales and marketing for the sports group. Scott Schiller will expand his role as exec VP of digital ad sales to include NBC News Group's digital ad sales on an interim basis as well as digital entertainment ad sales. The reorganization will also bring the sales marketing team under one umbrella, the client solutions group, led by Alison Tarrant. Ms. Yaccarino said in a statement that the goal of the restructuring is to more effectively harness the company's size and variety of programming. "In a world of growing fragmentation and as scale has become more and more elusive, we've clustered our networks to capitalize on the strength of our assets," she said. NBC Universal has been in the midst of change over the past few months. Lauren Zalaznick, who had lost oversight of several cable networks earlier in the year, said last month that she was leaving the company. The company surprised insider and outsiders by turning over the Style Network, rather than G4 as previously announced, to become the new Esquire Network. Univision Networks President Cesar Conde was brought in as an exec VP focused on business development, special projects and international business. And NBC Universal's International President Jeff Shell was put in charge of worldwide operations at Universal Studios, succeeding Adam Fogelson.

NBC Universal Realigns Ad Sales, Ties Broadcast Flagship More Closely to Cable

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