NBC President Bob Greenblatt suddenly withdraws from the earthquake in the television industry

Is there anything in the water? In Los Angeles, television executives fall like flies, although everyone seems to be leaving for different reasons. A few weeks ago, CBS President Les Moonves resigned from his position on the grounds of allegations of sexual misconduct. (While he was resigning, Moonves issued a statement in which he said in part: "Misleading claims made decades ago are now being taken against me, which are not compatible with who I am". Ben Sherwood, The chairman of the Disney-ABC television group would leave Disney as the company completed its merger with Fox, which proved true. And on Monday, the news broke that Bob Greenblatt, who managed to turn the troubled ship of NBC programming during his nearly eight-year tenure, would not leave the company in the space of a few months, as reported for the first time Friday, but currently.

Vulture Josef Adalian first announced that the employees of 30 Rock had received Monday a letter confirming the departure of Greenblatt and clarifying the impetus for its exit. A representative of NBC provided V.F. with the letter, from NBCUniversal C.E.O. Steve Burke, as well as Greenblatt's farewell to the employees, in their entirety.

"It was a difficult decision for Bob," wrote Burke, "but after a series of extremely successful years at NBC – and as much as I wish, he is ready to embark on a new challenge. Greenblatt, who helped NBC achieve what he called one of the biggest turnarounds in the history of network television, after Comcast's acquisition of NBCUniversal and a five-game winning streak as n ° 1 of the demo 18-49. "This year, Bob led NBC to become the most-watched network in the household ranking for the first time in nearly two decades," wrote Burke. "He also brought a winning spirit to the network and attracted the best creative talent in the industry."

Greenblatt helped NBC cross the rough waters, raising its comedy story with hits like The right place He also oversaw the development of the very popular series That's us, which turned out to be a hit story of epic proportions, as well as a price favorite.

Two successors will take the place of Greenblatt, Burke wrote: alternative leader Paul Telegdy and co-head of cable production studio George Cheeks, who will share the title of co-president of NBC Entertainment. As Vulture notes, arrangements like this are not unknown; at Fox, Dana Walden and Gary Newman sharing similar responsibilities. Mr. Greenblatt, said Mr. Burke, will consult with his two successors as needed, and will continue to work with the network on his live musicals – another achievement that Burke has saluted in his farewells.

In his own letter of goodbye, Greenblatt wrote: "It is with very shared feelings that I decided to leave NBC after nearly eight years. I love this network and our parent company, but since NBC is back on track and has been so successful, I think it's time for me to take on a new challenge.

Greenblatt praised Burke and Comcast C.E.O. Brian Roberts for their support and investment in the network; He also thanked his employees for their commitment to the success of the network. Like Burke, he said the network was the most watched network of the year, believing it would never have been possible. "And if people tend to give me too much credit for these steps, the truth is that they only happened through incredible management teams throughout the company," wrote Greenblatt. He called several senior executives namely, as well as Jennifer Salke, who recently left NBC to lead Amazon's TV division. Finally, he thanked all the creators, producers, performers, writers and crew members who have worked on the network over the years.

"Steve asked me to consult Paul and George as needed in the future and I am happy to be able to help in any way possible," Greenblatt wrote closing his letter. "And wherever I am in my new journey, I hope to find ways to do business with many of you and maintain so many of our friendships. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

The upheaval within the television industry has been felt for several months. AT & T's merger with Time Warner has already spawned a new similar approach to Netflix's HBO that has skepticism this summer. Meanwhile, Disney and Comcast fought for Fox, fueling uncertainty for months. Now, Fox is facing a Disney future, and employees, including Ben Sherwood, will be sent to try to reduce layoffs. As Variety reported on Friday, Sherwood had considered his options as Fox Peter Rice ready to take office. Disney C.E.O. Bob Iger had been wanting to keep Sherwood aboard, by Variety, and initially, Sherwood was interested in possibly supervising Sky News, before Disney was defeated by Comcast. With this possibility, Sherwood could not be seduced.

Beyond all the tectonic changes within the broadcast space, there is also a growing stream of competition from wired, wired and streaming platforms. Given the nature of this transition and Greenblatt's willingness to consult, the changes to the NLC could be fairly easy, but given the ongoing unrest within this industry as a whole, "fluidity" is still relative .