Donati, Brainch among raft of NBCU appointments

NBCUniversal International senior exec Duccio Donati is moving to a new role overseeing the E! cable channel in the US, with a CNBC chief taking his role.

Concurrently, NBCUI has tapped a senior UK factual production creative to lead a major charge into unscripted programming.

Donati (pictured), currently executive VP of NBCU division Universal Networks International, is to become executive VP, E! and Style Network in July, with CNBC International’s president Saptal Brainch replacing him UNI’s executive VP and managing director on May 8.

Donati will relocate from London to Los Angeles for his new role, while Brainch moves to London from Singapore.

Brainch will oversee UNI’s overall business strategy, including affiliate sales, ad sales, programming and strategic operations across NBCUniversal’s international pay TV channels portfolio of Syfy, Universal Channel, 13th Street, Diva, E!, Style, Studio Universal and Movies 24.

The news came today hours after NBCUniversal International Television Production appointed Fever Media managing director David Mortimer as its senior VP, factual and entertainment.

He begins on May 13 and has been charged with “doubling” NBCUI’s unscripted business over the next five years.

In his new role, Mortimer will report to NBCU International Television Production president Michael Edelstein and COO Sarah Cooper, the former BBC Worldwide exec hired recently to expand NBCUI’s business outside the US, in part by creating new ventures and striking new creative partnerships.

Cooper said: “David Mortimer is a formidable and respected television executive with a comprehensive understanding of unscripted content. With his background as both a commissioner and producer, he brings the full range of skills and experience to the team and will be charged with doubling NBCUniversal’s unscripted business over the next five years and creating global unscripted hits within our extensive portfolio of top quality programming.”