NEW YORK – NBCUniversal said Tuesday that Salil Mehta, a key player in the company’s integration with Comcast, has been promoted to the newly created position of COO and CFO of NBCUniversal’s Entertainment & Digital Networks and Integrated Media division, which is led by Lauren Zalaznick.
He will now oversee day-to-day operations, finance, legal and business affairs, business development and strategic planning for the division’s business portfolio, which includes Telemundo, mun2, Bravo Media, Oxygen Media and Style and digital properties iVillage, DailyCandy, Swirl and Fandango. He also will have oversight of partially-owned cable networks Sprout, ExerciseTV and TVOne.
Mehta has so far served as president, business operations, strategy and development of NBCUniversal, where he was in charge of the company’s strategic agenda, digital initiatives and business development.
“Salil spent nearly a year leading the integration efforts between NBCUniversal and Comcast, so I had the chance to work with him closely,” said NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke. “Salil is an expert problem solver and a great executive. I am pleased that he’ll be focusing his talents on one of the most important areas of our business.”
Mehta, a former Walt Disney executive, managed negotiations for NBCUniversal’s purchase of The Weather Channel and played a key role in the creation of A&E Television Networks and the sale of the Sundance Channel.
