NBCUniversal yesterday named ESPN VP/Original Programming & Production Jamie Horowitz Senior VP & GM of the "Today" show, as the "arms race in morning television continued," according to Bill Carter of the N.Y. TIMES. Horowitz "will oversee all aspects of 'Today,' the three separate morning shows with that title, the digital site, the concert series in Rockefeller Plaza and interactions with sponsors and advertisers." He "will not join NBC until Dec. 1," as that "delayed start was apparently ABC’s demand in exchange for allowing him to leave a contract early." Horowitz said that he "was not seeking to leave ESPN, but when NBC approached him he was attracted by the history of 'Today.'" He noted that he "started his career working on Olympics coverage for NBC" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/8). DEADLINE.com's Lisa De Moraes noted Horowitz at ESPN oversaw a "number of successful shows," including "First Take", "Olbermann," "Numbers Never Lie," "SportsNation" and World Series of Poker programming (DEADLINE.com, 5/7). In N.Y., Claire Atkinson cites sources as saying that Horowitz "was part of a corporate tug-of-war ... that had NBCUniversal giving up some assets in order to get him out of a contract that still had two years on it." Horowitz is the third Disney employee to join NBCU in the past six months (N.Y. POST, 5/8).
