Mark Marshall Named Chair, NBCUniversal's Advertising Sales

Jul 26, 2023

By Brian Steinberg

Senior TV Editor

Mark Marshall, the executive who led NBCUniversal’s ad-sales outreach on an interim basis, will take the role officially.

Marshall, who was given oversight of NBCU’s ad-sales after former leader Linda Yaccarino departed abruptly to take the CEO role at X, the social-media company previously known as Twitter, will report to Mark Lazarus, chairman of the company’s media operations.

“Mark stepped into this role on an interim basis at one of the most critical times of year for the ad sales business, and over the past three months he has more than proven himself to be the leader NBCU needs to guide this team into the future,” said Lazarus, in a prepared statement.  “Mark’s relationships are second to none, and coupled with his transformative vision, I have no doubt that under his leadership we will continue to reinvent and innovate the sales business while super-serving our clients and partners.” In his interim role, which he took in May of 2023, Marshall helped led the network through its most recent upfront, closing out the annual market with commitments in line with 2022’s despite a challenging landscape. Many networks were forced to offer “rollbacks,” or declines in rates, as advertisers move more dollars to streaming and sports, and away from traditional linear TV.

Previously, Marshall had been president of NBCU’s Advertising Sales and Partnerships since 2018, overseeing ad sales for NBCU’s broadcast properties and NBC Sports, among other businesses. Prior to that, Marshall held the post of executive vice president, leading sales for NBC Entertainment, USA, Syfy and WWE.

Before joining NBCUniversal, Marshall held several advertising sales positions at Turner Broadcasting between 1999 and 2013, ultimately serving as senior vice president and national sales manager. Earlier in his career, Marshall was vice president and national sales manager for Turner Sports, leading Midwest regional sales, and served as vice president of Turner Sports Advertising Sales for the West Coast region.