Mr. Silverman
Ben Silverman is leaving his post as NBC Entertainment co-chairman come September, and will join Barry Diller of InterActive Corp. (IAC), parent company of Ask.com, to form a multi-platform production company.
Marc Graboff, also co-chairman, will continue as chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios. He will report to Jeff Gaspin, former head of NBC cable unit and now-chairman of NBC Universal Television Entertainment, according to The Hollywood Reporter and MediaBuyerPlanner.
The new production company, announced today by Diller's IAC, will produce content for TV and the web. It is seeking additional investors (NBC is a potential backer). IAC says the venture will be "the industry's first global platform that connects advertisers, distributors and content creators early on in the development process, enabling advertisers to be a partner in campaigns and content creation."
TV personality Ryan Seacrest's role in breaking the story on Twitter suggests he may be in discussions with Silverman and Diller about a possible deal. Seacrest wrote that the Diller-Silverman collabo means "better shows from our favorite stars in u.s. and around the world."
Silverman joined NBC a little more than two years ago, leaving his own production company, Reveille, of which IAC was an early backer. NBC’s biggest hits, The Office and Biggest Loser, were created by Silverman and Reveille.
NBCU has been slowly taking responsibilities away from Silverman for the last year - Angela Bromstad was named head of prime time in December, for example - and NBC expects that Gaspin will bring a more stabilizing influence to the network, the Los Angeles Times reports.
NBC has struggled for ratings for several years, trailing the other nets in terms of viewers and 18-49s, and its prime time lineup continued to falter under Silverman’s auspices. Silverman will stay on with NBC through September to launch the new fall season. He has said (via The New York Times) that he is optimistic about several of the season's new shows, including Jay Leno's move to prime time.
