NBC News Creates New Head of Digital Content Job, Hires Quartz Co-Founder Kevin Delaney

NBC News has hired Kevin Delaney, a co-founder of Quartz and former Wall Street Journal editor, as its first head of digital content and subscription, a newly created position meant to connect the newsroom with the business side. The move, reported on October 27, signals how much weight the network is putting on its digital and direct-to-consumer ambitions.

What the new role covers

As head of digital content and subscription, Delaney will oversee digital publishing and NBC News’ AI efforts. According to Deadline, Tom Namako, who leads digital publishing, and Hanna Helin, who leads AI initiatives, will report to him. He is also expected to work with Arianna Davis, who runs Today Digital, and Jessica Mailloux, who oversees audience insights.

Delaney will report to two executives: Catherine Kim, executive vice president of editorial and content, and Sat Brainch, chief business officer of NBCUniversal News Group. That dual reporting line reflects the job’s purpose. In a memo to staff, Kim and Brainch said Delaney would develop content to support new opportunities that drive audience and revenue growth as the company strengthens its digital business and expands its direct-to-consumer offerings.

Why NBC News wants a digital-first leader

The hire follows a busy stretch for NBC News’ digital products. Variety notes that the news division has recently expanded programming on its streaming news channel, NBC News Now, and has launched a subscription product aimed at mobile users. Deadline says the digital subscription service debuted last December. Both outlets describe the post as a way to coordinate editorial output with revenue goals, rather than treating them as separate tracks.

Delaney’s résumé fits that brief. At Quartz, he helped build a site known for presenting news to digital audiences in new ways. He later co-founded Charter, a media company focused on leadership, and Deadline reports he served as CEO and editor in chief of both ventures. Most recently he was editor in chief of the San Francisco Standard, a local news outlet that acquired Charter.

Earlier in his career, he held senior editorial roles at The Wall Street Journal, where Variety says he oversaw digital editorial efforts and helped expand subscription offerings. He also worked at The New York Times and The Information, and he began as a TV producer in Montreal. That mix of broadcast experience, startup work and paywall-era publishing suits a job that spans video, text, AI tools and subscriptions.

Start date and open questions

Variety says Delaney is slated to start on November 16. Deadline’s wording suggests he already began on that date, but since the report is dated October 27, the start date appears to still be in the future. Neither report details specific products, targets or subscriber numbers, and neither says how the AI work will shape NBC News’ coverage or tools.

For now, the creation of a head of digital content role shows where NBC News sees its growth. Delaney’s early decisions on publishing, AI and subscription content will show how the division plans to turn its expanded streaming and mobile offerings into a durable business.

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