NBCU set to name Warner Bros. exec Susan Rovner as entertainment chief

Susan Rovner

NBCUniversal (NBCU) is poised to unveil its new entertainment chief, following the company-wide restructure last month.

Warner Bros. TV’s Susan Rovner, who has been rumoured to be in the running for the top job over recent months, has been appointed to take the newly created role at NBCU and will report to Mark Lazarus.

NBCU revealed the management structure for its combined TV and streaming operation last month, with NBC Entertainment chairman Paul Telegdy exiting and lifestyle networks president Frances Berwick securing a promotion.

She will now head up NBCU’s television entertainment business, while Rovner is now set to take charge of the entertainment programming division.

The remit – which will include oversight of scripted, unscripted and late night/alternative units – will cover original shows for broadcast and cable networks, as well as streamer Peacock.

Berwick, who is a veteran of NBCU and previously had a remit across networks including Bravo and E!, now has oversight of commissioning and acquiring content across all networks and day-parts, as well as working on windowing strategies between NBC and its cablenet siblings.

News of the appointment, which has yet to be confirmed by NBCU, comes as Lazarus continues his far-reaching revamp. The company will be made up of “horizontally integrated” divisions, which will share resources, with job losses reportedly affecting around 3,000 positions.

Rovner’s exit from Warner Bros. – where she has been for more than two decades – will leave a hole. She had been behind shows ranging from The O.C to Gossip Girl and was widely expected to replace Warner Bros. TV Group chairman Peter Roth, whose contract runs out in 2021.