NBCUniversal Promotes Perler to New SVP Research Role

In the US, entertainment giant NBCUniversal has promoted Ari Perler to the newly created role of SVP, Research & Strategy in its Television & New Media Distribution, U.S. & Canada unit.

The division manages sales and distribution of the group's product to all forms of television within the US and Canada, including movies from Universal Pictures and TV hits such as 'House', 'Law & Order', 'The Office' and 'Saturday Night Live'.

Perler joined NBCUniversal in 2008 as Vice President, Research, NBCUniversal Domestic Television Distribution, and before this worked for more than four years as Director, Media & Market Research at Fox News Networks. Earlier in his career he spent four years as a Senior Analyst at Turner Broadcasting, after a brief spell in Corporate Finance at Paramount Pictures in the UK. He holds a B.A. in Economics with a focus on international finance, macroeconomic policy and quantitative modeling from the University of Michigan.

In the new role, reporting to divisional President Frances Manfredi, Perler will oversee all research functions related to the licensing of Universal TV series and feature films to Cable, Subscription VOD and emerging platforms. He will also help to optimize sales strategies, and support support first-run and off-network TV series distribution efforts to linear TV and Subscription VOD in Canada.

Manfredi comments: 'Ari is a talented executive who has made tremendous contributions to the Television and New Media Distribution group. In a rapidly changing media environment, research and information is critical to everything we do, and we are so pleased to have Ari in this new position'.

NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation, owns and operates television networks and production companies; film company Universal Pictures; theme parks; and a number of high-profile online businesses. It's online at www.nbcuniversal.com .