Chris Berend a digital-media executives who has had a hand in helping to create new distribution platforms for NBC News journalism and properties including “Today,” is leaving the company after a seven-year tenure.
In a memo sent to staffers Thursday, Berend said he would soon be “leaving NBCUniversal soon to pursue my passions outside of news. More to come on where I’m headed in the coming weeks.” He is expected to stay until July 3, when Kyri Sarantakos, executive vice president of technology of NBC News Group will take over his duties on an interim basis.
During his tenure, Berend has helped expand NBC News into across streaming, subscriptions, commerce and emerging digital platforms, while also helping to shape the company’s approach to generative AI. NBC News moved into live streaming with the NBC News Now service; launched a “Today” platform that curates clips other programming from the morning-news franchise; and unveiled a streaming outlet devoted to “Dateline.”
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“We’re connecting with more people, in more ways, with more trusted expertise than ever,” Berend said in his memo.
Before taking up duties at NBC, Berend led oversight of digital video, and content strategy for CNN platforms on mobile, web and connected TVs, among others. He joined the Warner Bros. Discovery-backed news outlet in 2013, and was heavily involved with the launch of the documentary-programming outlet Great Big Story in 2015. The site was billed as a place for younger, digital-native news consumers to get video stories. Over time, Great Big Story even produced some TV series that appeared on CNN, Weather Channel and other outlets. Berend has also logged time for Bloomberg Media and ESPN, and worked as a journalist at Esquire.
Sarantakos joined NBCUniversal in July 2017 and held senior technology leadership roles within the group. Before joining NBCU, the executive was vice president of engineering at Electric Objects, a New York hardware startup.