Mike Cavanagh is starting to put his stamp on NBCUniversal.
Mr Cavanagh, who took over the company in April, is expected to give Donna Langley, the company’s head of film, broad oversight over creative decisions for the company’s entertainment content, including films and TV shows for its Peacock streaming service. , according to three people. familiar with the matter. Mark Lazarus, the president of NBCUniversal television and streaming, has also been elevated, given broader authority over the business decisions for some of the company’s creative content.
The promotions, which could be announced as soon as Thursday, according to two people familiar with the matter, would be the first major step taken by Mr. Cavanagh. The company’s previous chief executive, Jeff Shell, stepped down after a sexual harassment investigation.
A spokeswoman for NBCUniversal had no immediate comment.
Mr. Cavanagh essentially wins the number of executives who report directly to him, streamlining the company’s leadership ranks. Other executives who will remain on its leadership team include Mark Woodbury, the company’s park chief, and Cesar Conde, president of NBCUniversal News Group, who will also oversee Telemundo. Mr. Cavanagh will also continue to work directly with Adam Miller, executive vice president overseeing communications as well as human resources and corporate social responsibility; Kim Harris, the company’s general counsel; and Anand Kini, NBCUniversal’s chief financial officer.
Since taking over from Mr Shell, Mr Cavanagh has visited the company’s offices in Los Angeles, New York and London and met stars such as Jimmy Fallon, the host of the “Tonight Show”. He largely sought to carry on with business as usual, telling people he works with that things would remain unchanged while the company absorbed Mr Shell’s departure.
Mr. Cavanagh has had to deal with unexpected turmoil in his short time in the role, including the surprise departure of the company’s head of advertising sales, Linda Yaccarino, who left NBCUniversal to become Twitter’s chief executive. Ms. Yaccarino came out just as the company was preparing its annual offering to advertisers, known as front-runners, who account for much of its revenue for the year.
In promoting Ms. Langley, NBCUniversal is betting on an experienced creative executive with a string of recent box office hits. Along with Chris Meledandri, the chief executive of animation studio Illumination, Ms. Langley has made hits like “Super Mario Bros.,” which grossed more than $1 billion, and “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” which came out last year and generated over $900 million worldwide.
Mr. Lazaro, who oversees NBCUniversal’s television networks and the company’s streaming business, has been with the company for more than a decade. During his years with the company, Mr. Lazaro was responsible for striking deals with the Olympics, the National Football League and the Premier League, and he was a driving force in growing “Sunday Night Football,” the NFL’s flagship program. company