4 days ago
How Bravo became NBCUniversal's biggest streaming asset
When Frances Berwick started at Bravo in the 1990s, the cable channel was still positioning itself as a hub for 'film and arts.' Berwick climbed the NBCUniversal ladder, eventually growing her domain to all of the company's entertainment cable channels, including E!, Oxygen True Crime, SYFY, USA, and Universal Kids.
Her rise at NBCUniversal has coincided with cable's decline. Some 46% of households have cut the cord, and many of the networks she once oversaw faced dwindling audiences and profits to send back to parent company Comcast. So, the company amputated the afflicted limbs. All of those entertainment networks, along with news magnets like MSNBC and CNBC, will be overseen by a spinoff company, Versant, which is expected to be spun out by the end of 2025.
But Bravo, the network that houses reality franchises like The Real Housewives, Vanderpump Rules, and Top Chef, is staying in-house. That's due in part to the fan-driven culture of its programming, which can prop up custom advertising, live events, and—the company hopes—their streamer Peacock. Berwick will lead the way: In January, she was named chair of Bravo and Peacock Unscripted, effectively merging the reality network with its streamer.
Bravo isn't the perfect bet for NBCUniversal's television future. Its cable presence is sagging like most of its Versant counterparts, with an expected decline of 5% in subscribers and 6.5% in ad sales in 2025, per market research firm Kagan. (Bravo declined to disclose their financials.) Bravo also remains tied up in some long-tailed legal battles from 2023's Reality Reckoning, when claims of talent mistreatment challenged the network.
