Steve Burke, the NBCUniversal chief starting his second year at the media giant, had better start ringing up some A grades.
With a fourth-place broadcast network, an underperforming Hollywood studio, a “Today” show with its star’s contract set to expire in December and pricey TV-rights contracts to exploit at NBC Sports, much is on the line.
“In truth, it’s been an uneventful year,” says one NBC watcher, “What was working well is still going quite well, and what wasn’t is getting worse.”
Sources say Burke’s main goal in his first year was getting his team together: Mission accomplished. Elsewhere, he’s got his work cut-out.
* Broadcast network
The good news for NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt is that when you’re heading up the last-place network, the only direction to go is up.
Burke’s inner circle are saying quietly that they intend to give the 51-year old executive more time to prove himself — likely through the fall season before giving him his first report card.
That doesn’t mean Greenblatt, a veteran and successful cable programmer, isn’t on the hot seat.
Greenblatt can’t pass off all the failures on his predecessors. He picked “The Firm,” “Up All Night,” “Whitney” “Are You There, Chelsea?” and ultimately developed the much-panned “Playboy Club.” A reported $5 million marketing campaign behind “Rock Center” failed to produce network-worthy ratings.
Will it get better once “The Voice” is back and Steven Spielberg’s Broadway-themed drama, “Smash,” gets on air? It had better.
* “Today” Show
With “Today” raking in $500 million in ad revenue a year — it’s the network’s most profitable show — Burke can afford no screw-ups as ABC’s “Good Morning America” closes in, TV insiders said.
That means NBC News boss Steve Capus must re-sign Matt Lauer.
The gang weathered Meredith Vieira’s exit and survived. If Lauer exits at the end of 2012, there’s a real chance “Today” opens the door to a ratings takeover by “GMA.”
Most TV insiders expect Lauer to stay — but also foresee Ryan Seacrest, who toils at Comcast’s E! Entertainment unit, getting more face time on “Today.”
* Cable
As top cable networks are starting to lose ratings points across the board, with viewers migrating to smaller cable networks and to Netflix, NBCU has to exploit its deep executive bench and keep hold of its top-ranked positioning.
* Retrans/Sports
NBCU is expecting some new cash thanks to retrans dollars — but appears to be merely funneling it right into the pockets of the sports leagues because of the rich contract extensions it has signed with the NFL, World Cup and Olympics.
Burke has to press the re-branded NBC Sports network under new chief Mark Lazarus to challenge ESPN and ring up more ad dollars, sources tell The Post.
* Digital
Comcast is getting ready to finalize a major TV Everywhere deal with NBCU, using the 10-year deal with Disney as a template, say execs. Getting more ad dollars from mobile and tablet platforms will be the challenge.
* Studio
Burke has got to get his arms wrapped around Hollywood’s harsh economics. The executive, on his initial visit to his Tinseltown properties, was incredulous at the difficulty of predicting movie-business profitability — which showed his cable roots.
Should Universal be part of the portfolio long term? Some say it’s a question that’s being asked.