The Option

NBCUniversal has officially merged UCP and Universal International Studios into a new entity called Universal Global Television, reducing Universal Studio Group from four scripted divisions to three. Beatrice Springborn will run UGT as President, bringing together two studios whose slates had grown increasingly indistinguishable. The restructuring eliminates 22 roles across USG, NBC, and Peacock — a direct consequence of the January 2026 spinoff of NBCU's cable networks into Versant. For agents, producers, and showrunners with deals at either studio, the leadership map just changed.

Show Notes

NBCUniversal has officially merged UCP and Universal International Studios into a new entity called Universal Global Television, reducing Universal Studio Group from four scripted divisions to three. Beatrice Springborn will run UGT as President, bringing together two studios whose slates had grown increasingly indistinguishable. The restructuring eliminates 22 roles across USG, NBC, and Peacock — a direct consequence of the January 2026 spinoff of NBCU's cable networks into Versant. For agents, producers, and showrunners with deals at either studio, the leadership map just changed.

Key Takeaways:

  • UCP and Universal International Studios are merging into Universal Global Television (UGT); Universal Studio Group drops from 4 to 3 scripted divisions.
  • Beatrice Springborn named President of UGT; sits alongside UTV's Erin Underhill and UTAS's Toby Gorman in the restructured org.
  • 22 total roles eliminated across USG, NBC, and Peacock; 6 specifically tied to the UCP-UIS merger.
  • High-profile departures include UCP EVP Jennifer Gwartz (joined 2021), SVP Marc Velez (joined 2022), and EVP Casting Steven O'Neill, who has been at UCP since its founding in 2008.
  • All existing UCP and UIS overall and first-look deals — including Seth MacFarlane, Nick Antosca, and Sue Naegle — transfer to UGT.
  • UGT becomes parent of Carnival Films, Working Title Television, and Heyday Television, consolidating a significant UK production infrastructure.
  • NBCU says there are currently no plans to merge UGT with Universal Television — but the Disney precedent (20th TV + Touchstone in 2020, ABC Signature folded in 2025) took 5 years to complete.

The Versant cable spinoff is the economic forcing function behind these cuts — the TV studio org chart is being right-sized for a company that no longer operates a large cable portfolio. Agents with clients on overall deals at UCP or UIS should be reviewing transition language now. And anyone watching for further USG consolidation should note that "no current plans" is not a denial — it's a timeline.

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