Layoffs Hit Ad Sales Unit at NBCUniversal

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NBCUniversal has eliminated the jobs of about 30 staffers in its advertising sales organization, according to sources familiar with the situation.

The company has been staffing up in areas including data and automation and creating agency partnership teams, but the need for more traditional ad sales executives appears to be diminished.

An NBCU spokesperson declined to comment.

Overall the TV ad market has been soft, particularly for traditional broadcast and cable TV networks. Most of the companies reporting earnings this quarter have reported lower domestic ad sales.

NBCU's staff cuts follow the layoff of about 100 staffers at Viacom, which said the cuts were part of a cost reduction program that will lower expenses by approximately $100 million.

Jon Lafayette
Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.