Ex-Hulu President Kelly Campbell Tapped To Run Peacock

Kelly Campbell, who abruptly departed as president of the Walt Disney Co. DIS operated Hulu streaming service, has been named president of Peacock, the streaming service operated by Comcast Corporation’s CMCSA NBCUniversal unit.

What Happened: Campbell will report to Matt Strauss, chairman of NBCUniversal’s Direct-to-Consumer and International. In her new role, she will be responsible for Peacock’s streaming business and work with the NBCUniversal television, film, news and sports divisions in creating live and original programming for the service.

Campbell stepped down from Hulu after 18 months as president; she joined the service in 2017 as chief marketing officer. She will begin her new job in November and will be based in Los Angeles.

“On the heels of Peacock’s success in its first year, we are thrilled to bring Kelly’s leadership and expertise to the team as we continue to accelerate Peacock’s vision and strategy,” said Strauss.

Related Link: Footage From Lost 1918 Film 'Salome' Starring Theda Bara Emerges Online

What's Next: Campbell will be tasked with growing Peacock’s audience. The service recorded 54 million subscribers and more than 20 million monthly active users by the second quarter of this year. In comparison, Hulu had 42.8 million paid subscribers by the time Campbell departed from the service.  

However, both services lag behind sector leaders Disney+ with 116 million subscribers and Netflix NFLX with 209 million.

Photo: Kelly Campbell, courtesy of Hulu.