NBC co-chair and obnoxious sports event attendee Ben Silverman continues enabling his superlatives to go from "fun party guy" to "that douche-y programming guy." Self-identifying as the man who will save television, Silverman imagines a world where, in 15 years, broadcast TV will only be good for live blockbuster events like the Super Bowl, and, in the coming months, it'll just be a medium where he can force viewers into logging on to NBC.com. Blargh! With the American spin-off of Aussie sitcom Kath & Kim, he plans to do just that, leaving viewers hanging at the end of each episode, keeping them out of the loop unless they log on to his website for the final reveal. And if that doesn't piss off viewers enough, how about his unwavering coziness with letting advertisers shape programming?

When asked about the reputation he has developed in his short time on the job as an entertainment chief who works closely with marketers, he said that’s due to the new generation of showrunners who are “friends” of advertisers.

That includes Tim Kring and Tina Fey, who head up popular NBC shows “Heroes” and “30 Rock,” respectively, Mr. Silverman said.

“Tina Fey loves American Express. They have been inside '30 Rock,' in the show. They have supported her through the Tribeca Film Festival,” he said. “Tim Kring enjoys his relationships with Nissan. He felt Nissan helped empower the growth of that show.”

Those relationships with brands are part of the new way of doing business as a TV entertainment executive, he said. [TV Week]