Reilly Re-Ups as NBC Ent. President

Kevin Reilly has signed a new, multi-year deal to continue as president of NBC Ent. Over the past three years in this position he has developed some of the net's most acclaimed programs, including HEROES, THE OFFICE, DEAL OR NO DEAL and MY NAME IS EARL.

"We're thrilled to sign Kevin to a new contract and we're looking forward to building on the outstanding progress he's made to date, particularly launching the #1 new scripted series during each of the past two seasons," said Marc Graboff, president, NBC Universal Television, West Coast, to whom Reilly reports. “We’re bringing in new viewers and especially younger viewers with this season's buzzed-about, critically acclaimed lineup and Kevin's superb creative instincts and development skills have played a vital role in that progress."

Reilly commented, "Leading NBC Entertainment through our current rebuilding period has been one of the most rewarding and invigorating experiences of my career. I'm confident we've got the top-notch team in place to take us the rest of the way. The progress we've made this season in re-establishing the NBC brand and generating so much buzz with our quality shows is the best indicator that our strategy is working and the network is truly back on track."

Reilly was named president, NBC Ent., in May 2004. His entertainment responsibilities include primetime -- including alternative, specials and long-form programs -- late-night and daytime programming, and development, as well as scheduling and strategic planning for the NBC network.

Reilly, who began his career at NBC Ent. almost 19 years ago, returned to NBC in fall 2003 as president, primetime development.

NBC is up six percent this season versus last in regular-program averages among adults 18-49 and is the only major network showing a year-to-year gain by this measure.

NBC's regular lineup has also gotten younger this season versus last, with a median age for its audience that's 1.3 years younger than one year ago. NBC is the only major network to deliver a younger median age this season versus last with its regular-program lineup.

During Reilly's varied tenures at NBC, FX and Brillstein-Grey Ent., he successfully supervised such critical and commercial watershed hits as HBO's THE SOPRANOS, FX's The Shield and NIP/TUCK and NBC's ER.

Prior to returning to NBC, Reilly served as president of entertainment for FX, helping put the network on the map with an ambitious lineup of distinctive original series and movies, such as THE SHIELD, its first original drama series, which received a Golden Globe Award for Best Drama Series, the first basic cable series to do so, and another for star Michael Chiklis, who also won an Emmy Award.

Reilly and FX staged the net's most aggressive programming rollout ever when it added the hit drama Nip/Tuck, starring Julian McMahon and Dylan Walsh, and expanded the roster of original movies. Reilly was also responsible for the critically acclaimed original series, LUCKY, starring John Corbett.

Prior to FX, Reilly was president of Brad Grey Television, the television production arm of Brillstein-Grey Ent. He joined Brillstein-Grey in 1994 and helped build the television studio into one of the most successful independent suppliers of television programming. He shepherded some of television's top shows, such as the pilot for HBO's THE SOPRANOS, the NBC comedies JUST SHOOT ME and Newsradio, and The WB comedy THE STEVE HARVEY SHOW.

Previously, Reilly held a variety of positions over a six-year period at NBC Ent. and had a hand in the development of some of the network's most distinctive hits. As vp of drama development (1992-94), he was responsible for supervising the development of the pilots of ER and HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET. He worked on the first season of LAW & ORDER and the pilot and first season of SAVED BY THE BELL.

His other positions at NBC included director of drama development/director of current drama at NBC Ent. (1989-92) and manager of creative affairs for NBC Prods. (1988).

Reilly, named by TV WEEK named this year as one of "Twelve to Watch" in the entertainment industry, also served as president of the Hollywood Radio and Television Society.