NBCU acquisitions chief takes key Comcast cable role

NBCUniversal acquisitions chief Val Boreland has been handed the reins to entertainment leadership at Comcast’s soon-to-be spun-off cable business. 

Boreland has been appointed president of entertainment at ‘SpinCo’, the entity that will hold Comcast’s portfolio of cable networks including USA, Syfy, Oxygen, MSNBC and E!, first unveiled in November. 

Boreland, who has been at NBCU since 2016, is currently executive vice-president and head of content acquisitions for TV and streaming, overseeing the content buying and curation for broadcast network, NBC, Comcast’s entertainment cablers and streamer Peacock.  

She took up the role in 2020, having previously been executive vice president of content strategy for NBCU’s entertainment and lifestyle group, which she was elevated to in 2019. 

Boreland’s appointment is one of several senior leadership additions made by SpinCo chief exec and former chair of NBCU Television and streaming group Mark Lazarus, as the new company takes shape.  

Alongside Anand Kini, who was previously announced as chief operating officer and chief financial officer at SpinCo, Lazarus has set David Pietrycha as chief revenue and business officer and Jeff Mayzurk as president of operations and technology.  

Kristin Newkirk becomes chief financial officer of TV networks, Greg Wright is chief accounting officer and controller, Keith Cocozza has been appointed comms chief and Brian Dorfler will head up HR. 

In his new role, Pietrycha will steer business development, ad sales, distribution, and data and research for SpinCo. He moves from his current role as chief business officer of NBCU Media Group, where he is responsible for driving the growth of the business via investment decisions, partnerships and M&A. 

Mayzurk is executive vice-president of NBCU’s news group operations and technology, working across areas including technical production, post-production, archives and editing for brands such as NBC News, MSNBC and CNBC.  

When SpinCo is finally spun-off from Comcast, the company will be standalone news, sports and entertainment business reaching around 70 million US households.  

Lazarus said: “As we embark on this journey to build a one-of-a-kind company, I am thrilled to be joined by such a talented group of leaders with the experience and expertise needed to make SpinCo a leading multimedia company from day one.  

“Together, we will capitalise upon our iconic media assets, chart a course for growth and continue to attract additional talent as we build momentum toward the completion of the spin-off.”  

Kini added: “This team was handpicked because of their expertise within each of their function areas. I am confident that with and under the leadership of Mark, we will design and build a modern media company with the scale to compete and the right strategy to unlock organic and external growth opportunities.” 

The moves come a day after Peacock president Kelly Campbell was revealed to be leaving the company, amid a wider reshuffle following SpinCo’s creation.