Chris McCumber Leaves NBCUniversal In Continued Executive Shake-up
Shake-ups continue to happen in NBCUniversal’s executive structure, with a decades-long veteran of the industry leaving the company.
Variety reports that USA Network and Syfy president Chris McCumber is leaving the company as part of the restructuring being implemented by NBCUniversal. NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell has been spearheading this effort through streamlining divisions within the company and consolidating them into single units.
McCumber has been with the USA Network for almost two decades now, starting out as the vice-president of on-air programs from 2001-2004. In 2011, he and Jeff Wachtel were named co-presidents of USA Network. By 2013, he was running USA Network on his own and in 2016 he was also made president of Syfy.
Deadline notes that under McCumber’s leadership, USA Network maintained a 14-year streak of being the number one entertainment cable network. His tenure at USA Network and Syfy also resulted in the two network’s most profitable years.
Some of the programs that McCumber launched during his tenure include The Sinner, Chrisly Knows Best, Mr. Robot, Suits, Psych, and Monk. He was also behind USA Network’s long-standing and successful partnership with WWE.
McCumber’s departure comes after the installation of Pearlena Igbokwe as head of NBCUniversal International Studios, Universal Cable Productions, and Universal television. Also promoted alongside Igbokwe is Bonnie Hammer, who will now be NBCUniveral’s vice chairman.
Igbokwe is behind shows like Chicago, The Blacklist, The Good Place, Superstore, and New Amsterdam. Hammer is a business veteran who created NBCUniversal’s streaming platform, Peacock.
NBCUniversal also introduced Susan Rovner as its new entertainment programming division head. Before moving to NBCUniversal, Rovner was co-president of Warner Bros. Television Studios (WBTV) alongside Brett Paul and was pegged as heir apparent to current WBTV CEO and chairman, Peter Roth.
Streaming giant Netflix has also been implementing changes in its executive lineup as it adapts to the new normal brought about by the global coronavirus pandemic. The company recently installed Bela Bajaria as the Head of Global TV.
Before her promotion, Bajaria launched Netflix’s Queer Eye reboot, which has acclaimed seven Emmy Awards over the past two years.
Bozoma Saint John was also revealed as Netflix’s new chief marketing officer, two months before Bajaria’s promotion. Saint John’s previous experience include working as head of music and entertainment marketing for Pepsi North America, head of consumer marketing for Apple Music, Chief brand officer at Uber, and chief marketing officer at Endeavor.
Saint John said that she is looking forward to increasing Netflix’s audience engagement and that she is thrilled to take on this new role.