Ben Silverman has left NBC after two years as entertainment chief of the hit-starved network and is heading back to the content-producing role where he once found success.

He is starting a new company with an initial investment from media mogul Barry Diller's IAC/InterActiveCorp, and already has a consultancy deal in place with NBC.

NBC had hoped Silverman could bring the magic touch he had with his Reveille production studio to turn around the fourth-pace network. Silverman had specialized in remaking overseas TV shows for American audiences, and was the force behind NBC's "The Office" and "The Biggest Loser," and ABC's "Ugly Betty."

Yet in two years marred by a writers' strike and a cratering economy, Silverman wasn't a game-changer at NBC. His legacy is likely to be more about striking deals with advertisers than improving NBC's competitive position. Only the Amy Poehler midseason comedy "Parks & Recreation" and the drama "Southland" bear his stamp, and neither can be considered hits.

Silverman took over at the end of the 2006-07 television season, when NBC averaged 8.9 million viewers in prime-time. Its average was 7.9 million this season, according to Nielsen Media Research. While not budging from fourth place, NBC did manage to hold steady this season among 18-to-49-year-old viewers, which is the demographic it seeks, and is having a strong summer.