Linda Yaccarino: Last News

Yaccarino, a graduate of Penn State University, served as the chair of global advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal, acting as «the strategic and operational bridge across the entirety of NBCUniversal's global networks, properties, and business units,» according to her profile on LinkedIn. Her role involved monetizing the company's networks, digital and streaming platforms, distribution and commerce partnerships, and client relationships.

Even without a once-in-a-generation strike or a Twitter bombshell, next week would already pose a challenge to media companies making their annual upfront pitches to ad buyers in New York.

In a potentially seismic change on the eve of the broadcast upfronts, word emerged Thursday evening that NBCUniversal sales chief Linda Yaccarino is reportedly in discussions to become Twitter’s new CEO.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Linda Yaccarino, a hard-charging veteran of TV’s ad-sales wars, is in talks to become the next chief executive of Twitter, according to a person familiar with the matter. Yaccarino, who spent a good chunk of her career at WarnerMedia’s TV operations before joining NBCUniversal last decade, supervises the Comcast-owned company’s ad-sales efforts across the globe, with Peacock and NBC among the assets she helps fortify with revenue. In recent years, she has spearheaded initiatives to generate new cash flows through e-commerce, and worked to redefine the way the TV industry measures its audiences for advertisers in hopes of giving more credibility to the way Madison Avenue pays for people who watch their favorite programs via streaming video.

Elon Musk was pictured holding his son, X AE A-XII, in a rare outing as he attended the Twitter 2.0: From Conversations to Partnerships marketing conference in Miami. The Twitter CEO, 51, was seen carrying his two year old son backstage after he delivered a keynote speech at the conference. During his attendance, Elon was joined on stage at Fontainebleau Miami Beach by Linda Yaccarino, the chairman of global advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal.

APPOINTMENTSTalent management company YMU has appointed NBCUniversal’s Linda Yaccarino to the role of Group Chair. “I knew instantly I had found that person when I met Linda”, says CEO Mary Bekhait.

Linda Yaccarino, head of advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal, has been named group chair of UK management firm YMU.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Linda Yaccarino, who spends most of her day trying to sell advertisers on NBCUniversal commercial inventory, will take on a new task of trying to do something similar with actors and artists. Yaccarino was named global chair of YMU, a British talent-management group, replacing Harvey Goldsmith, who left the company in 2021. Yaccarino will retain her role at NBCU, where she is global chairman of global advertising and partnerships. “Linda’s appointment shows the scale of ambition for the Group – her value, knowledge and expertise will enable us to deliver an even better service to our clients and turbo charge our international growth,’ said Mary Bekhait, YMU’s global CEO, in a statement.

NBCUniversal’s advertising and partnerships group has formalized a new executive structure reflecting its recent moves to streamline efforts in broadcast, cable, sports and streaming.

NBCUniversal (NBCU) has signed BBC Studios Global Distribution COO Maggy Chan to lead its global advertising and partnerships in the U.S., EMEA and Asia Pacific, replacing KC Sullivan, who recently became CNBC President.

Laura Molen, who rose to president of advertising sales at NBCUniversal during a decade-long run, has announced plans to depart the company early next year.

NBCUniversal is getting the jump on the new year, announcing dates for its NewFronts and upfronts presentations next May while touting the ways it has “fueled fandom, growth, and innovation” in 2022.

Linda Yaccarino, head of global advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal, says despite the intense backlash over his two-plus weeks operating Twitter, Elon Musk deserves patience from the company’s advertisers and business partners.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Kim Kelleher added oversight of distribution revenue to her portfolio at AMC Networks, a substantial enlargement of her duties at the content company that was recently put under the aegis of a new CEO. Kelleher, who will continue to supervise advertising sales and partnerships, has been named chief commercial officer of the company, best known for its flagship cable network and influential series like “Better Call Saul” and “The Walking Dead.” “A cohesive, forward-looking commercial revenue team that has responsibility for all of our valuable partner relationships across advertisers, affiliates and new digital platforms makes strong strategic sense and Kim is the perfect executive to lead it,” said Christina Spade, who was recently named CEO of AMC Networks, in a statement. “She has brought her own unique talent, ingenuity and dynamic leadership to our commercial revenue group. We are thrilled to apply her abilities to an even more comprehensive role to drive the company’s top-line growth.” Kelleher will report to Spade.

In today’s traditional doubleheader opening of the upfronts in New York, Fox and NBCUniversal execs took digs at the “paywall” strategy of Netflix and Disney, in the first of many salvos expected this week.

NBCUniversal is expanding its relationship with ad tracking firm iSpot, telling a room full of media buyers today that it will offer the company’s data as official currency starting at its May upfront.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorDan Lovinger, a veteran ad-sales executive who has helped supervised outreach to advertisers for NBCUniversal venues ranging from prime-time TV shows to “Sunday Night Football” and the Super Bowl, is getting a new assignment.Lovinger will oversee all efforts aimed at getting advertisers to sponsor NBCUniversal’s Olympics and Paralympics broadcasts, a pillar of the company’s programming strategy representing hundreds of hours worth of some of TV’s highest-priced inventory. Lovinger, who had been an executive vice president, has been elevated to president, and will report directly to Linda Yaccarino, NBCU’s global chairman of advertising sales and partnerships.

NBCUniversal has confirmed it will host its annual upfront presentation to advertisers on May 16, an in-person event to be preceded by several other spring presentations to media buyers.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorNBCUniversal has pushed in recent months to change the way TV audiences are measured and to shake up the methods Madison Avenue uses to place ads, but at least one thing about the Comcast-backed media conglomerate will remain the same: the location of its main upfront presentation.NBCU pledged to hold forth from Radio City Music Hall once again, just as it has for many years before the coronavirus pandemic scuttled the in-person extravaganzas that have become so much a part of the TV networks’ annual pitch to advertisers. The owner of the NBC, MSNBC and USA networks said it would kick off the industry’s annual Upfront Week on May 16, with an evening event aimed at promoting Spanish-language outlet Telemundo, marking a return to at least some of the traditions of the annual market, when U.S.