Rarely has a loud opening on TV exec lane been announced quite loudly.
When NBCUniversal last week triggered a massive reorganization of its television company, the company made it clear that one key position in the new structure was yet to be completed – a new main entertainment program that would oversee creative decisions for NBC, cable channels including USA and Bravo, and adult streaming service Peacock. Had a version of that role, as well Variation reported prior to the reorg, was offered to Netflix local original head Bela Bajaria, who rejected it.
But when the opening of the runway on Thursday was effectively placed, speculation immediately began to swirl about who might eventually land the role.
The most common internal name is that of Pearlena Igbokwe, President of Universal Television. Igbokwe, a highly regarded creative executive, runs a studio that has produced multiple series for outside streamers, most notably “Little America” for Apple TV Plus, “Four Weddings and a Funeral” for Hulu, and “Russian Doll” for Netflix. Igbokwe has previously also served as head of drama development at NBC, so she understands the inner workings of the still valuable broadcast network.
But sources at NBCUniversal have heard rumors of Igbokwe’s height. One reason is that the ex may normally be looking for another job – succeeding her boss Bonnie Hammer, who oversees both UTV and Universal Content Productions, should Hammer retire at the end of her current contract next year .
Another name that is being driven now is that of Kevin Reilly, who was fired just last week as head of content for HBO Max and the Turner cable networks. Reilly wanted to do nothing to immediately improve diversity at the top level at NBCUniversal following the dismissal of NBC Entertainment chairman Paul Telegdy amid accusations of racist, sexist and homophobic behavior. But as a veteran TV exec, Reilly previously served as stint as program president for Fox and NBC, and his recent turn with Max, though brief, gives him insight into developing content for streaming. Reilly is said to have met with NBCU officials about the job prior to his departure from WarnerMedia.
Susan Rovner, president of Warner Bros. Television, is also believed to have been approached about the role. Rovner’s name goes into the mix of mass restructuring at WarnerMedia that Warner Bros. and their television operations are affected by heavy layoffs. Channing Dungey, VP of original content at Netflix and former president of ABC Entertainment, is also said to be the topic of interest to NBCU. But while Dungey, popular and respected in the Hollywood creative community, has often been at the top of employers’ winning lists, it’s not clear whether she could be asked to leave Netflix, which fueled the pandemic recession has better than almost any pure media company.
Other performers are believed to be considered as well. No decision has yet been made on who will fill the vacant position. A NBCU spokesman declined to comment.
One factor that may hinder NBCU when trying to put a zero on a top-tier candidate is the way the search query is spilled in public view. News that Bajaria turned down the job means that whoever accepts it will be known that the first choice of the company has not been. And in announcing the restructuring, NBCUniversal assigned many senior cable and broadcasting tasks – including publishing and windowing – to Frances Berwick, who was appointed head of a newly formed entertainment business unit.
Whoever ends up with the programming assignment will have to be comfortable sharing authority with Berwick, a cable veteran whose programming powers lie in the script. But in today’s environment, with job security everywhere challenged as media companies streamline, that may not be a bad prospect.
–Joe Otterson and Michael Schneider contributed to this report.
