NBCUniversal’s Telemundo Enterprises is restructuring its top management along content production and distribution lines, mirroring the overhaul implemented over the past few months at the rest of the company’s television units and at other media giants.
Former Telemundo Networks programming chief Ronald Day has been elevated to president of entertainment and content strategy for NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises. Romina Rosado, who had been Telemundo’s head of digital, is upped to executive VP of entertainment and content.
Peter Blacker, longtime ad sales leader and business strategist for the Spanish-language network group, has an expanded role in monetizing Telemundo content around the world as executive VP, chief commercial officer and head of DTC licensing.
Day and Blacker report to Beau Ferrari, the Univision alum who was promoted to chairman of NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises in July after previous chief Cesar Conde was enlisted to run NBCUniversal News Group.
The goal of the reorg is to expand Telemundo’s capacity to produce original content — focusing on entertainment, news and sports — that can travel widely in a world of streaming platforms and on-demand services. NBC’s broadcast and cable operations have been through a similar top-to-bottom overhaul. AT&T’s WarnerMedia and Disney’s TV unit have also taken big steps to ramp up content production through a massive shakeup that aims to cleanly separate the responsibility for creating content from the responsibility for making money from that content.
For NBCU, Telemundo’s long-term value is seen as a content engine that can turn out material for multiple platforms, rather than as an operator of linear networks. Telemundo Enterprises’ current channel roster includes the Telemundo broadcast network, distributed by 30 O&O stations and dozens of affiliates around the country; the NBC Universo cable network aimed at younger Hispanics; and the Telemundo Deportes sports outfit. Universo and the sports channel are likely to face linear MVPD distribution pressure in the coming years.
Telemundo over the past decade has effectively closed the gap with longtime Spanish-language market leader Univision in the U.S. The company has been innovative in expanding the boundaries and formats of programs on its networks. It has also put the focus on targeting younger U.S.-born viewers, who have different pop culture sensibilities than older Latinx Spanish-language viewers.
Now Telemundo has a clear content-driven path ahead, NBCUniversal leaders believe, because the company’s telenovelas, game shows and reality shows can also be licensed widely to content-hungry outlets in the Spanish-speaking world and beyond. Telemundo Studios, headed by president Marcos Santana, a former producer, is to be the main driver of content production for the networks and downstream buyers.
Telemundo has wide opportunity to deliver “premium content across multiple platforms,” Ferrari told Variety. “When you look at demand on direct-to-consumer SVOD and AVOD platforms for the unique scripted content that we produce — for U.S. Hispanics by U.S. Hispanics.”
Under Comcast’s ownership, NBCUniversal has consistently invested in Telemundo as a growth area for the company. Telemundo has significantly invested in news for the network and its larger O&O stations. The hope is NBCU’s distinction in Spanish-language media will also help draw users to the fledgling Peacock ad-supported platform, which carries about 3,000 hours of Telemundo content at present.
With the restructuring, Telemundo Enterprises is now organized along four divisions: Global Studios, Entertainment and Content Strategy, Network News and Sports. Ferrari’s key players also include CFO Amanda Calpin, network news chief Luis Fernandez and marketing and administration chief Mónica Gil.
“We’re in a good position to capture the opportunities in this evolving landscape,” Ferrari said.
(Pictured: Ronald Day, Peter Blacker)