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Universal Studio Group is going down from 4 to 3 divisions arsenic Pearlena Igbokwe, Chairman, Television Studios, NBC Entertainment & Peacock Scripted, is proceeding pinch nan agelong rumored consolidation of UCP and Universal International Studios.
The mixed entity, named Universal Global Television, will beryllium tally by Beatrice Springborn who served arsenic President of some UCP and Universal International Studios. She will now beryllium President of UGT alongside UTV President Erin Underhill and Universal Television Alternative Studio President Toby Gorman.
High-profile departures stemming from nan workplace restructuring see UCP’s EVP Jennifer Gwartz and SVP Marc Velez — some improvement executives — arsenic good arsenic EVP Casting and Talent Development Steven O’Neill.
Six positions are being eliminated arsenic a consequence of nan UCP-UIS merger. The unit reductions are portion of a broader information of layoffs astatine NBCUniversal‘s TV operations related to realignment successful nan aftermath of nan January spinoff of nan bulk of nan company’s cablegram networks into Versant. Overall, 22 jobs person been impacted crossed USG (UTV, UCP, UIS and UTAS), NBC and Peacock.
All existing UCP and UIS wide and first-look deals will modulation to UGT for a mixed talent roster that includes Seth MacFarlane, Patrick Macmanus, Nick Antosca, Rachel Shukert, and Sue Naegle. UGT will now besides beryllium genitor institution of British accumulation companies Carnival Films and Working Title Television, antecedently divisions of UIS, and will presume UIS’ co-venture position successful Heyday Television.
While a broader consolidation of USG’s scripted operations, much specifically Universal Television and UCP, besides had been rumored, location are nary existent plans to spell each nan way.
The UCP-UIS combo could beryllium nan first step, akin to Disney’s move to merge 20th Television and Touchstone Television (fka Fox21) successful 2000. It took 5 much years to get to nan last shape successful nan consolidation process, pinch ABC Signature folded into 20th TV past year. It was preceded by combining respective functions, including casting successful 2024.
UMG Executive Team
Casting is 1 area that is being consolidated crossed UGT and Universal Television successful nan existent restructuring nether Kimberly Hope, EVP and Head of Casting and Talent for UTV, arsenic O’Neill exits.
In programming, Springborn has pulled from some sides of nan aisle successful assembling her integrated elder executive team.
Kelsey Balance, UIS’ EVP of Global Series, will now service successful nan aforesaid capacity and lead improvement for UGT. Working nether Balance astatine nan mixed entity will beryllium her existent lieutenant astatine UIS, SVP of Global Scripted Series Margaret Schatzel, and Amy Suh, SVP Development for UCP.
Rebecca Franko, EVP and Head of Current Series for UCP, will person nan aforesaid domiciled crossed UMG. (UIS did not person a existent department, pinch executives handling some improvement and existent series.)
Similarly, UCP’s EVP Production Mark Binke will oversee accumulation for UGT. (UIS had been utilizing a advisor for nan role.)
UIS EVP and erstwhile CFO Rob Howard is starring day-to-day operations successful nan UK, which will stay a main accumulation hub for nan mixed entity. No changes are planned for nan studio’s London outpost, which has been keeping things mean, sources said.
Gwartz is expected to return to her producing roots. She joined UCP arsenic EVP successful 2021, reporting to Springborn. Before that, she was EVP, Development astatine 20th Television. While astatine UCP, Gwartz has developed Five Star Weekend, Devil successful Disguise and Summer Sisters, still successful nan works, among others. Previously, Gwartz was Head of TV for Lin Pictures and Joel Silver and a play improvement executive astatine ABC Entertainment.
Velez joined UCP successful 2022 arsenic SVP and Head of Development, reporting to Gwartz. Before that, he spent almost six years arsenic president of Lee Daniels Entertainment wherever he developed and executive produced ABC’s The Wonder Years, Fox’s Our Kind of People and BET’s The Ms. Pat Show.
O’Neill has been astatine UCP since its inception successful 2008, managing each aspects of nan casting process for nan studio’s lineup, including All Her Fault, Cape Fear, Five-Star Weekend, Devil successful Disguise: John Wayne Gacy, Murdaugh: Death successful nan Family and The ‘Burbs. Previously, O’Neill served arsenic EVP of Casting and Talent Development for NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment and SVP of Casting astatine Universal Television and NBC. His credits see nan original Suits, Royal Pains, Mr. Robot, The Office, and ER.
Merging nan slates
Bringing UCP and UIS together is simply a earthy progression arsenic nan delineations betwixt nan 2 units’ lanes person started to blur, pinch nan fluidity betwixt their slates creating immoderate confusion. UCP’s instruction had been producing streaming bid planted successful nan US marketplace that tin beryllium distributed internationally while UIS had been tasked pinch making shows designed for nan world market.
However, deed Peacock constricted bid All Her Fault, group successful Chicago and featuring a predominantly American formed isolated from lead Sarah Snook, comes from UIS via its subsidiary Carnival Films. Meanwhile, The Rachel Incident, an Irish communicative filmed successful Ireland by an Irish accumulation institution for nan British Channel 4, is from UCP. And UCP’s latest bid for Apple TV, Cape Fear, has emerged arsenic a beardown world performer, drafting bigger numbers overseas.
Now nan 2 slates, which already person a batch of crossover, are being aligned together pinch an oculus toward nan world market.
And indicating that this is simply a merger of equals vs. 1 entity absorbing nan different arsenic was nan lawsuit pinch 20th TV and Touchstone TV and past ABC Signature, nan mixed workplace is getting a caller name, UGT, alternatively of keeping nan sanction of 1 of nan merging units. (The caller moniker does sound a spot for illustration nan title of 1 of NBC’s biggest reality franchises, AGT. Universal’s Got Talent, anyone?)
In summation to All Her Fault, which logged nan most-watched original bid motorboat successful Peacock’s history, on pinch beardown debuts successful nan UK, Canada and Australia, UIS is down specified caller hits arsenic The Day of nan Jackal, nan biggest caller bid motorboat ever connected Sky, which is returning for Season 2 connected Peacock and Sky, and nan Peacock constricted bid Apples Never Fall.
UCP has Peacock’s latest breakout, The ‘Burbs, which was renewed for a 2nd play aft amassing much than 1.7 cardinal viewing minutes connected nan level successful its first 2 months, and nan live-action/CGI Ted, whose 2 seasons mixed classed arsenic nan #1 streaming original drama title successful nan first week of nan S2 merchandise based connected minutes viewed.
