NBCUniversal Taps Former Netflix Exec Zoë Friend as Consumer Insights EVP

NBCUniversal has appointed Zoë Friend as its new executive vice president of consumer insights.

In her new role, Friend will be responsible for delivering insights that will help guide key business decisions and evolve strategies across NBCU’s television and streaming platforms. She will join the media giant on Sept. 6 and report to chief data officer Will Gonzalez.

Prior to NBCUniversal, Friend served as the head of custom research at MarketCast, leading the firm across all business segments including entertainment, social media, tech, gaming, lifestyle brands, youth, identity and marketing sciences. She later moved into a role leading MarketCast’s Content Insights group, guiding content development of film and series for numerous streaming clients.

Before that, she worked as the vice president of consumer insights at Netflix, where she cultivated the streamer’s content and marketing research team and helped inform the company’s multibillion-dollar budget for original series and movies. Prior to joining Netflix in 2015, Friend was senior vice president of research and strategy for Paramount following a tenure as managing director of movie research agency First Movies. 

“Zoë is one of the most respected executives in our field, with a wealth of experience in consumer insights that will help us establish a holistic view of the customer across our portfolio,” Gonzalez said in a statement. “Her expertise and innovative approach to utilizing advanced analytics and consumer feedback will ensure that we’re delivering the best experiences to our customers across platforms. We’re excited about the direction of our group and can’t wait to welcome Zoë to the team.” 

The appointment comes after Comcast president Mike Cavanagh recently restructured NBCU’s leadership team, elevating Donna Langley to chairman and chief content officer of the new NBCUniversal Studio Group and Mark Lazarus to NBCUniversal Media Group chairman. Langley oversees content strategy across all of the company’s film and TV studios, while Lazarus runs the company’s TV networks, direct to consumer business including Peacock, as well as the NBC Sports Group and NBC affiliate stations. Lazarus also oversees advertising sales and content distribution.

In the second quarter of 2023, revenue in Comcast’s media segment grew 0.1% to $6.2 billion, while its adjusted EBITDA fell 18.2% to $1.24 billion. Domestic advertising revenue slid 4.9% year over year to $2.03 billion, domestic distribution revenue climbed 2.2% year over year to $2.6 million and international networks revenue surged 6.7% year over year to $1.04 billion.

Peacock, which added 2 million paid subscribers during the quarter, posted revenue of $820 million, up from $444 million in the prior year period. But the streamer posted an adjusted EBITDA loss of $651 million, widening from $467 million a year ago. To help Peacock reach profitability, NBCUniversal is hiking prices on its Premium and Premium Plus subscription tiers to $5.99 and $11.99 per month respectively. 

Comcast chief financial officer Jason Armstrong said there is “no change” to the company’s guidance that Peacock will hit peak losses of around $3 billion in 2023. Comcast president Mike Cavanagh added that the company is “not quite halfway through” its mission to convert Comcast subscribers over to a paying subscriber status on Peacock.

“When you look at the doubling of Peacock subs year over year, I’m optimistic about what the second half of the year brings,” he told analysts on the company’s earnings call.

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