NBCU Combines UCP and UIS Into Universal Global
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- Universal Studio Group is consolidating from four to three divisions, merging UCP and Universal International Studios into a new entity called Universal Global Television (UGT).
- Beatrice Springborn — formerly president of both UCP and UIS — will lead UGT alongside UTV President Erin Underhill and Universal Television Alternative Studio President Toby Gorman.
- Twenty-two roles are being eliminated across USG, NBC, and Peacock as part of broader layoffs tied to NBCUniversal's January spinoff of its cable networks into Versant.
- UCP loses three senior executives in the restructuring: EVP Jennifer Gwartz (development), SVP Marc Velez (development), and EVP Casting and Talent Development Steven O'Neill, who had been at UCP since its 2008 inception.
- All existing UCP and UIS overall and first-look deals — covering Seth MacFarlane, Patrick Macmanus, Nick Antosca, Rachel Shukert, and Sue Naegle — transition to UGT, which also becomes the parent of British production companies Carnival Films, Working Title Television, and Heyday Television.
- Casting is being consolidated across UGT and Universal Television under Kimberly Hope, who previously led casting for UTV, while a broader rumored UTV-UCP merger has no current plans, per the source.
Why it matters: The merger formalizes what the source says was already happening on the slate: UIS's All Her Fault — a US-set, UK-made Peacock show — became the platform's most-watched original launch ever, and UCP's Cape Fear performed stronger overseas than domestically. With 22 roles gone and three senior UCP development/casting executives out, casting is now unified under UTV's Kimberly Hope rather than siloed, signaling NBCU's bet that a single global studio beats separate US-streaming and international units.
