• by Wayne Friedman , December 10, 2024

Reaching out to small and medium-sized brand advertisers -- and to create more digitally focused partnerships -- NBCUniversal has created a new position, hiring Roku executive Kristina Shepard as executive vice president, streaming and performance sales and partnerships.

Shepard will also head up efforts working with major East Coast independent media agencies and their advertising clients across streaming, programmatic, retail media, social and the NBC’s FAST networks.

NBC touts her high level of skill in programmatic small and medium-sized businesses and digital media platforms.

Shepard had an eight-year stint at Roku, rising to vice president of global advertising sales and partnerships. She will report to Alison Levin, president of advertising and partnerships, NBCUniversal. Levin had worked at Roku from March 2018 to December 2023.

In a release, Levin says: “As the company approaches two of its most influential years in television history, it will be essential for us to continue to diversify our revenue, and Kristina is the perfect person to steer us into that future.”

In 2023, NBCUniversal's domestic advertising revenue declined 17% to an $8.6 billion versus the year before.

Taking out special sports events --- the FIFA World Cup, the 2022 Super Bowl, and the Beijing Olympics -- total ad revenues declined 3.8%.

All traditional U.S. linear TV networks have been hit with sinking advertising and distribution revenue for the better part of a decade.