news Alerts
There are no new alerts at this time
Comcast said Monday that it plans to spin off NBCUniversal into a separate publicly traded company, the latest shift in an industry grappling with rapid technological change and new consumer habits.
Limited time: Save 25% on NBC News subscription
Get exclusive reporting, live Q&As and ad-free reading.
The independent NBCUniversal will include the Universal Pictures film studio, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, NBC News, the streaming service Peacock, the cable channel Bravo, a lucrative theme parks division and Sky, a British TV broadcaster Comcast acquired in 2018.
Comcast will focus on providing broadband, cable and wireless services to business and residential customers. Comcast’s share price rose nearly 10% in early Nasdaq trading following the announcement.
The move comes during a period of head-spinning change for the American media industry as it contends with the decline of linear broadcasting, the rise of streaming and growing competition from nontraditional digital platforms. It follows Comcast’s decision in November 2024 to streamline operations by spinning off a suite of cable channels, including CNBC and MSNBC (now known as MS NOW), into a separate publicly traded company called Versant.
Comcast’s acquisition of NBCUniversal in 2011 was seen as a major bet on the benefits of combining content and distribution pipelines. But in recent years, some analysts have questioned that strategy and argued that NBCUniversal was better off as a “pure-play” company focused more narrowly on media and entertainment.
“It’s time to split. They have better futures on their own,” Rich Greenfield, a partner and analyst at LightShed Partners, told CNBC. He said he believes Comcast and NBCUniversal’s core businesses are no longer compatible. “Those days are over,” he said.
The separation between Comcast and NBCUniversal is expected to be completed in about a year. Comcast expects to retain a stake of up to 19.9% in NBCUniversal for as much as a year after the spinoff is completed.
In a statement, Comcast said current investors will own shares in both new companies. It said the deal would create “two focused industry leaders, each with significant scale, strong financial profiles and distinct strategic opportunities.”
“Comcast’s board and management team believe each company will be better positioned to pursue its own strategic priorities, invest for growth and create long-term shareholder value as independent entities,” Comcast’s statement added.
Mike Cavanagh, Comcast’s current co-CEO, will run the new NBCUniversal. Comcast will be led by the returning Michael Angelakis, a former chief financial officer.
Comcast Chairman and co-CEO Brian Roberts will “continue to be actively involved in the leadership” of both Comcast and NBCUniversal, “working in partnership with the CEOs of both companies,” the company said in the statement.
“Both companies begin this next chapter from positions of strength,” Cavanagh said. “Comcast will continue to build on its leadership in connectivity, while NBCUniversal, together with Sky, will have the scale, brands, content and financial resources to compete as a premier global media and entertainment company.”
The corporate breakup raises a series of complex questions, including whether NBCUniversal will seek to acquire other media brands — or become an acquisition target itself. In a call with investors Monday morning, Roberts said the split was “absolutely not” a step toward potential strategic transactions for either company.
The new spinoff would be the latest shake-up in an industry that has lately been jolted by various mergers and acquisitions.
David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance, the owner of CBS, is working to close a $110 billion deal to acquire rival Hollywood studio Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of HBO and CNN. Nexstar, the country’s largest owner of local television stations, is in the process of acquiring Tegna, a rival firm.
Daniel Arkin is a senior reporter at NBC News.
Alexander Smith is a senior reporter for NBC News Digital based in London.
© 2026 NBCUniversal Media, LLC
Leave a Reply