Linda Yaccarino, a hard-charging veteran of TV’s ad-sales wars, is in talks to become the next chief executive of Twitter, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Yaccarino, who spent a good chunk of her career at WarnerMedia’s TV operations before joining NBCUniversal last decade, supervises the Comcast-owned company’s ad-sales efforts across the globe, with Peacock and NBC among the assets she helps fortify with revenue. In recent years, she has spearheaded initiatives to generate new cash flows through e-commerce, and worked to redefine the way the TV industry measures its audiences for advertisers in hopes of giving more credibility to the way Madison Avenue pays for people who watch their favorite programs via streaming video.
A spokesman for NBCUniversal’s ad-sales business said he did not know any details surrounding Yaccarino’s status with the company. “Linda is in back to back rehearsals for Monday’s upfront,” said the spokesman, Joe Benarroch, referring to the annual sales presentations NBCU and its rivals make to advertisers each year in May. The person familiar with the matter suggested NBCU might have to rework the presentation because of Yaccarino’s potential departure.
More to come….