Val Boreland, an executive who has specialized in acquiring content for the various cable networks owned by NBCUniversal, will lead the entertainment operations of those outlets when they are spun off from the company later this year.
Boreland has been named president of entertainment for “SpinCo,” the new entity that is expected to be a separate, publicly traded entity when a transaction is finalized. In the recent past, she has snared releases from Universal Filmed Entertainment Group for the Peacock streaming service following their theatrical release, and also brought the “John Wick” franchise to Peacock with a prequel series “The Continental.”
She was one of a new array of executives named in the senior structure of a company that will be led by CEO Mark Lazarus and CFO Anand Kini.
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“Together, we will capitalize upon our iconic media assets, chart a course for growth and continue to attract additional talent as we build momentum toward the completion of the spin-off,” Lazarus said in a statement. The new leadership team will start to focus on their new roles beginning in early April.
Comcast is moving forward with an effort to spin off the bulk of its cable assets, which include MSNBC, CNBC, Universal Kids, USA, E!, Oxygen and Syfy. Only Bravo, viewed as an important feeder of programming to the Peacock streaming service, will stay with the NBC TV business. Comcast said in October it was going to study the ramifications of such a maneuver, but, clearly, it had already done so.
Keith Cocozza, who leads communications for NBC and did so in the past for Time Warner, will take on the chief communications officer role. Brian Dorfler will be chief human resources officer, Jeff
Mayzurk will become president of operations and technology. Kristin Newkirk will serve as CFO of the company’s TV networks. David Pietrycha has been named chief revenue and business Officer. Greg Wright will serve as chief accounting officer and controller.
More executive appointments are expected to be made in coming weeks.
Boreland’s appointment suggests that the company may try to fuel viewership with strategic deals that bring popular series and specials to its network schedules, rather than focusing solely on original series. The company said Thursday that it aimed to “provide a diverse and differentiated content offering with live news, sports and entertainment at the centerpiece” of its strategy. The media properties in its portfolio generate “approximately $7 billion in revenue annually.”