NBCUniversal Media, LLC (abbreviated asNBCU anddoing business asNBCUniversal orComcast NBCUniversal since 2013) is an Americanmultinationalmass media andentertainmentconglomerate that is a subsidiary ofComcast and headquartered at30 Rockefeller Plaza inMidtown Manhattan in New York City.[5] It is mostly involved in the media and entertainment industry, named for its two most significant divisions: theNational Broadcasting Company (NBC)—one of the United States'Big Three television networks—andUniversal Pictures, one of themajor Hollywood film studios.
It also has a significant presence in broadcasting through a portfolio of domestic and international properties, includingUSA,Syfy,Bravo,Oxygen,E!,Telemundo,Golf Channel,CNBC,Universo, the streaming servicePeacock and ownership stakes inSnap Inc. andVox Media. Via itsUniversal Destinations & Experiences division, NBCUniversal is also the third-largest operator ofamusement parks in the world.[6]
NBCUniversal was created on May 11, 2004, asNBC Universal, Inc. on November 8, 2004, whenVivendi sold 80% of Universal Pictures to the now-defunctGeneral Electric, NBC's then-owner.[7][8] The sale gave Vivendi a 20% stake in NBC Universal, while GE held the remaining 80%. Comcast attained 51% and thereby control of the newly reformed NBCUniversal in 2011, byacquiring shares from GE, with GE buying out Vivendi's stake. Since 2013, the company has been wholly owned by Comcast, which bought the remaining 49% of the company from GE.[9]
| 1909 | Independent Moving Pictures founded |
|---|---|
| 1912 | Universal Pictures is founded afterIMP merged with smaller studios |
| 1926 | NBC is founded |
| 1928 | Walter Lantz Productions is established |
| 1943 | MCA Inc. establishes Revue Studios (laterUniversal Television) |
| 1963 | American Cable Systems is founded |
| 1964 | Universal Studios Hollywood opens |
| 1968 | American Cable Systems rebrands toComcast |
| 1975 | Filmworks is founded |
| 1976 | Filmworks becomes Casablanca Record & Filmworks |
| 1980 | PolyGram renames Casablanca Record & Filmworks to PolyGram Pictures MCA Videocassette‚ Inc. (laterUniversal Pictures Home Entertainment) is established |
| 1983 | PolyGram Pictures closes |
| 1984 | Walter Lantz Productions' assets are sold to Universal Telemundo is founded |
| 1986 | General Electric re-purchases its former subsidiaryRCA for $6.4 billion, including NBC and a stake inA&E |
| 1987 | PolyGram Movies is founded |
| 1989 | NBC relaunchesTempo Television asCNBC |
| 1990 | Universal Studios Florida opens PolyGram Movies is renamedPolyGram Filmed Entertainment Sky Television andBritish Satellite Broadcasting merge to form British Sky Broadcasting Universal Cartoon Studios (laterUniversal Animation Studios) is established |
| 1994 | DreamWorks Pictures andDreamWorks Animation are founded |
| 1995 | Seagram acquires Universal through its acquisition of MCA NBC andMicrosoft replaceAmerica's Talking withMSNBC |
| 1998 | Seagram acquires PolyGram Filmed Entertainment Barry Diller purchases Universal's domestic television assets Universal Television is renamed Studios USA Television |
| 1999 | PolyGram Filmed Entertainment is folded into Universal Pictures PolyGram Video is renamed USA Home Entertainment Universal Studios Florida expands to becomeUniversal Orlando Resort |
| 2000 | Seagram is sold toVivendi and merged withStudioCanal to become Vivendi Universal Entertainment |
| 2001 | Grand opening ofUniversal Studios Japan Vivendi purchases Studios USA |
| 2002 | NBC acquiresTelemundo andBravo Studios USA assets are folded into Universal Focus Features is formed Comcast acquiresAT&T Broadband for $44.5 billion |
| 2004 | GE and Vivendi merge NBC and Universal into NBCUniversal |
| 2005 | Comcast sets up a joint-venture withPBS,Sesame Workshop &HIT Entertainment to form PBS Kids Sprout Comcast &Time Warner Cable jointly acquireAdelphia Cable assets for $17.6 billion |
| 2007 | Illumination is founded |
| 2011 | Vivendi divests interest in NBCU; Comcast buys 51% of NBCU from GE, turning it into a limited liability company NBCUniversal Archives is founded |
| 2012 | NBCUniversal divests itsA&E Networks minority stake |
| 2013 | Comcast buys GE's remaining 49% of NBCU Comcast/NBCU assumes full ownership of Sprout |
| 2015 | Amblin Partners is founded |
| 2016 | NBCU acquiresDreamWorks Animation |
| 2017 | NBCU acquires a minority stake inAmblin Partners Sprout relaunches asUniversal Kids |
| 2018 | Comcast acquires Sky from21st Century Fox |
| 2020 | NBCU launchesPeacock |
| 2026 | Versant spins off fromNBCUniversal |
NBC andUniversal Television had a partnership dating back to 1950, when Universal Television's earliest ancestor,Revue Studios, produced a number of shows for NBC, although Revue would have hits on other networks as well. This partnership continued throughout a number of name changes and changes of ownership.
NBC Universal Television has its modern roots in a series of expansions undertaken by NBC, whose full legal name wasNational Broadcasting Company, Inc. In the late 1980s, NBC began pursuing a strategy of diversification, including the formation of two NBC-owned cable-television networks:CNBC andAmerica's Talking. NBC also had partial ownership of several regional sports channels and other cable channels such asAmerican Movie Classics andCourt TV (until 2007).
In 1995, NBC began operating NBC Desktop Video, a financial news service that delivered live video to personal computers. The following year, NBC announced an agreement withMicrosoft to create an all-news cable television channel,MSNBC (using its subscriber base from America's Talking network). A separate joint venture with Microsoft included establishing a news website, MSNBC.com (nowNBCNews.com).[10]
In 1998, NBC partnered withDow Jones & Co.[11] The two companies combined their financial news channels outside the United States. The new networks includedNBC Europe,CNBC Europe, NBC Asia,CNBC Asia, NBC Africa, andCNBC Africa.
In 1999, NBC took a 32% stake in the Paxson group, operator ofPAX TV. Five years later, NBC decided to sell its interest in PAX TV and end its relationship with PAX owner,Paxson Communications.[12]
In 2001, NBC acquired the US Spanish-language broadcasterTelemundo, which includes thebilingualMun2 Television for $1.98 billion.[13] That same year NBC acquired the cable channelBravo.
In 2004, amid a major financial crisis caused by over-expansion, Universal Studios' parent company, Vivendi Universal Entertainment (a division of the French companyVivendi, which also ownedBlizzard Entertainment), decided to sell an 80% stake in itself toNBC's parent company,General Electric (GE). The sale and resulting merger formed NBC Universal. The new company was 80% owned by GE, and 20% owned by Vivendi.[14] TheUniversal Music Group was not included in the deal and is not part of NBC Universal.[15]
On August 2, 2004, the television divisions of NBC and Universal Television were combined to formNBC Universal Television. Entertainment shows produced by the new group includedThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno,Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, andSaturday Night Live.
The formation of NBC Universal saw the establishment ofNBC Universal Cable, which oversaw the distribution, marketing, and advertisement sales for thirteen channels. It also owned a 50% stake in Canal+ and a 15% stake inA+E Networks until 2012.[16]
In the early 1990s, NBC began its expansion throughout Europe by creatingCNBC Europe and its long-time successful NBC EuropeSuperstation by broadcastingNBC Giga throughout Germany and the rest of the European Union. NBC Europe helped to develop theLeipzig-basedGames Convention, the largest European video game exposition with more than 100,000 visitors each year.
In 2005, NBC Universal joined HANA, theHigh-Definition Audio-Video Network Alliance to help establish standards in consumer electronics interoperability. Later that year, NBC Universal announced a partnership withApple Computer to offer shows from all the NBC Universal TV networks on Apple'siTunes Store.[17]
In January 2006, NBC Universal launched a new cable channel,Sleuth, later rebranded asCloo.[18][19] One year after Sleuth's debut, NBC Universal announced that the company would launch a horror-themed cable channel,Chiller, on March 1, 2007.
On June 14, 2007, NBC Universal Television Studio was renamedUniversal Media Studios. The company explained that the reason for the name change was because "the new name fully describes the company's mission to be the premier content provider for television and digital platforms, spanning all television parts and creative genres."[20]
In August 2007, NBC Universal purchasedSparrowhawk Media Group and renamed it NBC Universal Global Networks.[21] This acquisition gave NBC Universal all Hallmark channels outside the United States, plus the English channelsDiva TV,Movies 24,Hallmark Channel andKidsCo.[22] Later that fall, the company also acquired theOxygen network in a separate $925 million deal.[23] The sale was completed one month later.
In the summer of 2008, NBC Universal,Blackstone Group andBain Capital announced their intention to buyThe Weather Channel fromLandmark Communications. The deal closed on September 12, 2008.[24] Shortly after the acquisition was completed, NBC announced that its existing TV weather network, NBC Weather Plus, would be shut down by December 31, 2008.
In July 2008,Universal Cable Productions split off fromUniversal Media Studios and moved into NBCUniversal'sNBCU Cable Entertainment division.[25]
The summer of 2008 marked NBC Universal's first venture into the United Kingdom with the acquisition of English television production companyCarnival Films.[26]
On November 12, 2008, NBC Universal acquired 80.1% ofGeneon Entertainment fromDentsu in Japan, merging it with Universal Pictures International Entertainment to form a new company,[27] Geneon Universal Entertainment Japan.[28]
On March 16, 2009, NBC Universal-owned cable channel Sci Fi announced that it would be changing its name toSyfy, replacing a generic term with a proprietary brand name that was able to be trademarked.[29] The re-branding and name change took place on July 7, 2009.[29][30]
On August 27, 2009,A&E Television Networks (A&E) merged withLifetime Entertainment Services (Lifetime),[31][32] giving NBC Universal an equal share of both Lifetime and A&E withThe Walt Disney Company andHearst.
On October 20, 2010, NBC Universal-owned horror/suspense-themed cable channelChiller announced a major rebranding campaign incorporating a new logo and on-air look that launched on Wednesday, October 27, 2010.[33][34]Syfy and Chiller President Dave Howe said, "We have very ambitious plans to grow this network as a brand."[33][34]
On December 3, 2009, after months of rumors, a deal was formally announced in which Comcast would buy a stake in NBC Universal from GE for $6.5 billion after thespin-off of certain businesses, pending regulatory approval.[35] Under the agreement, NBC Universal would be controlled with a 51% stake by Comcast and GE would retain the remaining 49%. The deal includes a provision under which Comcast must contribute $7.5 billion in programming, including regional sports networks and cable channels such asGolf Channel,Versus, andE! Entertainment Television. GE used some of the funds, $5.8 billion, to buy out Vivendi's 20% minority stake in NBC Universal.[35] Under the terms of the deal, Comcast reserved the right to buy out GE's share at certain times, and GE reserved the right to force the sale of its stake within the first seven years.[35][36] Vivendi completed the initial transaction on September 27, 2010, selling a $2 billion stake to GE (approximately 7.66%).[37]
U.S. regulators approved the proposed sale on January 18, 2011, with conditions. Comcast would have to give up NBC control over online video siteHulu and ensure NBC Universal programming is available to competing cable operators.[38] The company unveiled a new logo designed byWolff Olins, which replaced a logo featuring the NBC peacock and an invocation of the Universal Pictures globe, with awordmark. The company also began to stylize its name inCamelCase as "NBCUniversal" rather than "NBC Universal", to reflect the unity of its two main divisions.[39][40]
On January 26, 2011, Vivendi sold the remaining 20% of NBC Universal to GE, giving GE complete control of the company ahead of the completion of the sale of 51% of the company to Comcast on January 28, 2011.[41] Comcast and GE formed the joint venture holding company NBCUniversal, LLC. NBC Universal, Inc. became a unit of Comcast and adopted the nameNBCUniversal Media, LLC, on January 29, 2011.[42]
Comcast had planned to buy out GE's 49% stake over the following seven years, but ownership of NBCUniversal remained split at 51–49% for two years, until the announcement on February 12, 2013, that Comcast intended to complete the $16.7 billion purchase ahead of time all immediately. The sale was completed on March 19, 2013.[40][43][9]
The corporation, on July 19, 2012, formed theNBCUniversal News Group with the NBC News, CNBC, and MSNBC divisions.[44] That same year, Comcast sold its stake in A&E Networks to Disney and Hearst, making the company a 50-50 joint venture.
In February 2013, NBCUniversal merged its two cable divisions,NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment & Cable Studios and NBCUniversal Entertainment & Digital Networks and Integrated Media, into one unit while moving outTelemundo andMun2 to a new division, NBCUniversal Hispanic Enterprises and Content. The move also created the corporate-level position of executive vice president in charge of digital ventures.[45] In July, the company placedNBC TV Stations andTelemundo's O&Os stations into a new division, NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations, withNew England Cable News being transferred into NBC TV Stations.[46]
On December 16, 2015,Steven Spielberg,Jeff Skoll ofParticipant Media,Anil Ambani ofReliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, andDarren Throop ofEntertainment One foundedAmblin Partners, which would primarily focus on producing and distributing films and television using theDreamWorks Pictures,Amblin Entertainment, and Participant Media brands.[47] On the same day as the company's formation, Amblin Partners announced that it entered into a five-year distribution deal withUniversal Pictures by which the films would be distributed and marketed by either the main Universal banner or its specialty label,Focus Features.[48][49]The Girl on the Train was the first film released under the deal, following the expiration of the former's distribution deal withWalt Disney Studios Motion Pictures with the release ofThe Light Between Oceans in August 2016.
On April 28, 2016, two days afterThe Wall Street Journal reported that NBCUniversal's parent-company Comcast was in talks with then-CEOJeffrey Katzenberg about an acquisition following failed 2014 merger talks withHasbro andSoftBank, NBCUniversal officially announced to acquireDreamWorks Animation for a total of $3.8 billion.[50] Universal Pictures took over the distribution for DreamWorks Animation films after its deal with20th Century Fox expired, following the release ofCaptain Underpants: The First Epic Movie in 2017. The sale was approved by board members, but was subject to regulatory approval.[51][52] On June 21, 2016, the acquisition was approved by theUnited States Department of Justice.[53][54] On August 22, 2016, the acquisition was completed with DreamWorks Animation now completely owned byUniversal Pictures.[55] That allowed Universal rights to both DreamWorks Animation andIllumination films beginning in 2019. DWA's first film to be distributed by Universal wasHow to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. The company later sold its stake in A&E to Disney and Hearst, making it a 50-50 joint venture.
On February 15, 2017, NBCUniversal acquired a minority stake inAmblin Partners,[56] strengthening the relationship between Universal and Amblin,[57] and reuniting a minority percentage of the live-actionDreamWorks Pictures label with its former DreamWorks Animation division.
On February 28, 2017, NBCUniversal announced that it would acquire the remaining 49% stake in theUniversal Studios Japan theme park that it did not own.[58]
On May 1, 2017, NBCUniversal announced thatSprout would be relaunched as Universal Kids on September 9, 2017.[59] Universal Kids would later cease operations on March 6, 2025.[60]
On November 16, 2017, NBCUniversal's parent company Comcast made a bid to acquire21st Century Fox's filmed entertainment, cable entertainment, and international assets, ten days afterThe Walt Disney Company (at the time, owners of rival networkABC, cable sports channelESPN and theme parks Disneyland andWalt Disney World) was reported to be negotiating with Fox for the same assets. The deal contained key assets such as the 20th Century Foxfilm andtelevision studios (Universal Pictures andUniversal Television's respective rivals), a 30% stake inHulu, television assetsFX Networks,National Geographic Channel, and international television operations such asStar India, while excluding theFox Broadcasting Company, theFox News Channel,Fox Television Stations,Fox Business Network,Fox Sports 1 and2,Fox Deportes, and theBig Ten Network, all of which werespun off into the "New Fox" company (later known as theFox Corporation) run by theMurdoch family.[61][62]
However, on December 11, 2017, Comcast officially dropped the bid, saying that "We never got the level of engagement needed to make a definitive offer."[63] On December 14, 2017, Disney officially confirmedits acquisition of the most 21st Century Fox assets, which was granted approval from theUnited States Department of Justice Antitrust Division on June 27, 2018, and approved by stockholders from both companies one month later.[64]
On April 25, 2018, Comcast launched its takeover offer forSky plc at £12.50 per-share, or approximately £22.1 billion.[65][66] 21st Century Fox owned a significant stake in Sky and was trying to take full control of it itself, ahead of its own acquisition by The Walt Disney Company. NBCUniversal CEOSteve Burke stated that purchasing Sky would roughly double its presence in English-speaking markets, and allow for synergies between the respective networks and studios of NBCUniversal and Sky.[67] On June 5, 2018,Culture SecretaryMatt Hancock cleared both 21st Century Fox and Comcast's respective offers to acquire Sky plc. Fox's offer was contingent on the divestiture of Sky News.[68][69] On June 15, 2018, the European Commission gave antitrust clearance to Comcast's offer to purchase Sky, citing that in terms of its current assets in Europe, there would be limited impact on competition. Comcast included a 10-year commitment to the operations and funding of Sky News.[70][71][72] On July 11, 2018, Fox increased its bid for Sky to £14.00 per-share, valuing it at £24.5 billion. Comcast subsequently counterbid just hours later with an offer at £14.75 per-share, valued at £26 billion.[73][74]
On September 20, 2018, thePanel on Takeovers and Mergers ordered that a blind auction be held "in order to provide an orderly framework for the resolution of this competitive situation". In this process, Fox, followed by Comcast, made new cash-only bids for Sky. After these first two rounds of bidding, there would be a third round where both companies could make new offers. However, the third round of bidding would only be binding if both companies make a bid.[75] Comcast won the auction with a bid of £17.28 per-share, beating Fox's bid of £15.67.[76][77] Sky plc had until October 11, 2018, to formally accept this offer.[78]
Following its auction victory, Comcast began to acquire Sky shares from the open market. On September 26, 2018, Fox subsequently announced its intent to sell all of its shares in Sky plc to Comcast for £12 billion.[78][79] On October 4, 2018, Fox completed the sale of its shares, giving Comcast a 76.8% controlling stake at the time.[80] On October 12, 2018, Comcast announced it will compulsorily acquire the rest of Sky after its bid gained acceptances from 95.3% of the broadcaster's shareholders with the company being delisted by early 2019.[81] Sky was delisted on November 7, 2018, after Comcast acquired all remaining shares.[82]
While NBCUniversal and Sky still operate mainly as separate entities within Comcast, following the Sky takeover Comcast has begun the process of integrating some of NBCUniversal's international operations with parts of Sky. Among other moves, NBCUniversal'spay television channels in the United Kingdom will be folded with Sky's, andSky Deutschland will become the parent company of NBCU's German networks.[83]
On January 14, 2019, NBCUniversal announced that it would launch an over-the-top streaming service to compete withNetflix,CBS All Access,Amazon Prime Video,Hulu,Apple TV+,HBO Max, andDisney+.[84] A reorganization of the major direct reporting division was made. Bonnie Hammer was appointed chairman ofNBCUniversal Direct-to-Consumer and Digital Enterprises via the streaming services and the Digital Enterprises unit. Her former unit, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment Group, was given toMark Lazarus as chairman,NBCUniversal Broadcast, Cable, Sports and News. Universal Filmed Entertainment Group chairman Jeff Shell added NBC Entertainment, Telemundo and international channels as chairman of NBCUniversal Film and Entertainment.[85] On September 17, 2019, NBCUniversal announced the service would be calledPeacock and launched on July 15, 2020.[86][87] In 2025, Comcast executives told investors that Peacock had grown a customer base of more than 41 million paid subscribers.[88]
NBCUniversal Content Studios was formed in October 2019 with Hammer as chairman and George Cheeks as vice chairman, who was co-chairman of NBC Entertainment. This new unit consists of Universal Television and Universal Content Productions. Hammer was replaced as chairman of the Direct-to-Consumer and Digital Enterprises unit by Comcast executive Matt Strauss, while Paul Telegdy would become sole chairman of NBC Entertainment and continue reporting to Shell.[89]
On February 25, 2020, Comcast announced it would purchaseXumo from the Panasonic/Viant joint venture for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition of the service—which will continue to operate as an independent business, albeit within Comcast's cable television division—stems mainly from Xumo's partnerships withsmart TV manufacturers (including LG, Panasonic, andVizio), which would allow Comcast to use Xumo's placement to market or showcaseXfinity and other Comcast services as well as use its technology to develop additional streaming platforms. The company plans to add content from the NBCUniversal programming library and the company's various television networks as well as use it to upsell Peacock, akin toViacomCBS's utilization ofPluto TV.[90][91][92]
In February 2020, it was reported that Comcast (via NBCUniversal) had entered talks into acquiringVudu fromWalmart.[93] On April 20, 2020,Fandango (jointly owned by Comcast andWarnerMedia) announced that it would be acquiring Vudu.[94][95] The acquisition was completed on July 6, 2020.[96] Vudu was renamed Fandango at Home in 2024.
In September 2022,NBCUniversal announced it had moved Universal Filmed Entertainment Group's consumer products division Universal Brand Development to its theme park & resorts division Universal Parks & Resorts and had it merged with the latter's merchandise unit Universal Parks & Resorts Merchandise Group to form a single unified global consumer products business & focused on theme park experiences division for NBCUniversal's franchises renamed the former to Universal Products & Experiences, with Universal Brand Development president Vince Klaseus had lead the rebranded division.[97]
In 2023, NBCUniversal announced that corporate management will be led by a leadership team while Michael J. Cavanagh continues to oversee Comcast as a whole.[98]
On November 20, 2024, Comcast announced that it would spin off most of its cable networks and selected digital properties into a new publicly traded company led by Mark Lazarus.[99] Initially referred to under the interim name "SpinCo", the company's name was announced asVersant on May 6, 2025.[100] Versant will consist of properties such asUSA Network,CNBC,MSNBC,E!,Golf Channel,Oxygen, andSyfy, as well as digital properties such asFandango Media and SportsEngine; the aim of the spin-off is to separate them from NBCUniversal's flagship businesses, while providing them with the ability to make their own further investments and acquisitions.[99][101] NBCUniversal will retainBravo, as the network is a major provider of content to Peacock, while Telemundo's own cable operations remain unchanged.[99]
Universal Kids was closed on March 6, 2025.[102]
On October 2, 2025, CNBC reported that NBCUniversal would be the biggest wild card for the acquisition ofWarner Bros. Discovery's assets.[103]
On November 6, 2025, NBCUniversal's parent company Comcast contractedGoldman Sachs andMorgan Stanley about a possible takeover of the studio and streaming assets of WBD.[104]
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