Comcast – NBCU – (broadcast properties)

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Christian Aleksandrov

by CHRISTIAN ALEKSANDROV

About

NBCUniversal is one of the world’s mass media conglomerates. Founded in 1926 as the National Broadcasting Corporation, Inc. (NBC), the company steadily expanded domestically and internationally, owning and operating a vast portfolio of broadcasting networks, cable channels, and online platforms, as well as, motion picture production and distribution enterprises, and several amusement parks.

The company initially founded by the Radio Corporation of America. Inc, became a sole unit of General Electric in 1986. In 2004, NBC joined forces with Vivendi’s Universal Entertainment and expanded its operations out of the television broadcasting field. Since 2008, NBCUniversal is owned by Comcast, the largest cable company and home Internet service provider in the United States, becoming the world’s largest in revenue mass media group.

NBC current logo

The flagship company of Comcast’s NBCUniversal is the National Broadcasting Corporation. Inc (NBC), the oldest major broadcast network in the United States. For nearly 90 years, NBC has been offering quality news, entertainment and sports programming. One of NBC’s most popular shows are the Friends, ER, Seinfeld, Saturday Night Live, the morning show Today and Nightly News.

Key Executives

Steve Burke, Chief Executive Officer

PatPatricia Fili-Krushel
Chairman NBCUniversal News Group

Financials

Comcast’s stock prices for the last three months (CMCSA)

NBCUniversal’s most recent financial report shows that in 2014, the NBCUniversal’s revenue increased 7.5% to $25.4 billion compared to $23.7 billion in 2013, making the company and specifically its broadcasting division NBC, Comcast’s major earnings booster. The Sochi Olympics was the event that brought most of the revenue to the company. Even excluding $1.1 billion of revenue generated by the Sochi Olympics in the first quarter of 2014, the revenue still increased 2.9%. Contributing to the standout performance in 2014 was also the 18% growth in operating cash flow. As of April 17, 2015, the price one Comcast’s share on NASDAQ is 58.42, which is close to the company’s record high of March 6, 2015. The report for the first quarter of 2015 has not been released yet.

Programming

NBC broadcast one of the most watched morning, daytime, primetime and late night programs. However, the current 2014-2015 television season is expected to be less successful than the previous season, when NBC was named most watched network by adults 18-34. While shows like Blacklist, Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon, and Modern Family attracted enough audience to remain on the top of the ratings, other newly launched programs like the Slap, and A to Z were canceled after a couple of episodes.

Click here to find more infomation about the current programming schedule on NBC.

Controversies in NBC News

Pat Fili-Krushel, Brian Williams, Tom Brokaw, Andy Lack, Deborah Turness, and Steve Burke.
Photo Illustration by Sean McCabe; Courtesy of Vanity Fair.

In the last five years, shortly after Comcast’s acquisition of the company, NBCUniversal has been experiencing serious issues with the performance, popularity and credibility of its news division – NBC News. Lower ratings, higher competition, personnel problems, and unprofessional business and media practices caused concerns about the current state and future performance of the broadcasting network, and hurt the image of the media conglomerate as a whole.

The controversies in NBC News date back to 2012 and the surprising and “very public” departure of NBC’s morning show host, Ann Curry, from the program. Curry was replaced by Savannah Guthrie just after a year on the air as co-host of Today due to low ratings. Her departure however caused a negative response from the public due to rumors for backstage rivalry between her and co-host Matt Lauer as cause for her replacement. Even though Curry remained in the network for 3 more years after, she made only occasional appearances on the screen, which led to her departure from NBC News in 2015.

Similar to the case with Today show, NBC News Sunday morning show Meet the Press, under the moderation of David Gregory, struggled with achieving the high ratings of its predecessor Tim Russert. This led to Gregory’s encouraged by the network departure from the program in 2014, and, indeed, to another controversial personnel replacement for NBC News.

However, the greatest challenge for the news division of NBC came in 2015. On February 4 broadcast of Nightly News, the most watched news program in the United States for years, Brian Williams, the host and managing editor of Nightly News, confessed that he had reported a misinterpreted information about an incident from the War in Iraq in 2003. Williams apologized for the story he had told on the January 30 Nightly News broadcast, and back on March 26, 2003 that a military helicopter he was traveling in had been forcibly taken down by an RPG. Shortly after, NBC News President Deborah Turness decided to suspend Williams for six months without being paid in order to quell the scandal, but the news about his false reporting remained in the agenda of most media outlets for days.

Williams’ controversy seriously affected the credibility of NBC News. This event, together with the identity crisis in Meet the Press and Today finally led to changes in the executive personnel of the news division. A month after the scandal with Brian Williams, Andrew Lack, a former president and COO of NBC, was named the new head of NBC News, replacing the TV veteran Pat Fili-Krushel Under his supervision, Today, NBC Nightly News and Meet the Press were all on the top of the ratings in the 90s. NBCUniversal’s executives also hope that Lack would work to improve MSNBCs low ratings momentum, as well.

Unfortunately, shots have continued to be fired at NBC News credibility. On April, 16, 2015, after a thorough investigation initiated by New York Times and only two months after Williams’ suspension, NBC News revised another report. This time of the 2012 kidnapping of its chief foreign correspondent, Richard Engel. In the statement, NBC said that Engel’s reporting that he had been abducted by the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, was incorrect. In fact, he was kidnapped by the Sunni militants, who at that time were supported by the United States. The public response and NBC’s further actions regarding the case are yet to be detirmined.

What’s next?

Even though NBCUniversal has been contributing to the growth of its parent company Comcast with high ratings and increasing revenue, the recent controversies behind the news division of the company had been hurting the public image of the media conglomerate. With the new changes in the executive figures, the company is hoping to bring back the old leadership of the flagship news programs and to make them equally successful as NBCs primetime programs The Voice, The Blacklist, Tonight Show and Saturday Night Live. It’s still not determined what Andrey Lack’s plans are for the future of NBC News – would he keep Brian Williams and bring him back next fall, or he would replace him with his current interim Lester Holt, who continues to bring relatively high ratings for Nightly News. On the primetime schedule, NBC is hoping to attract more audience with some new shows – Eva Longoria’s comedy Telenovela, David Duchovny’s limited series Aquarius and Will and Grace’s star Megan Mullally new futuristic dramedy Apocalypse. NBC’s upfront, when the company is officially reveiling its plans for the upcoming television season is scheduled to be on May 11, 2015.

Sources

[1] NBC Logo. Retrieved April 17, 2015, from http://awfulannouncing.com/2013/cbs-sports-chairman-sean-mcmanus-on-that-other-pregame-show-concussions-and-fantasy-football.html

[2] NBCUniversal Who we are. Retreived April 17, 2015 from http://www.nbcuniversal.com/who-we-are

[3] Steve Burke. Retrieved November 18, 2014, from http://www.nbcuniversal.com/who-we-are

[4] Patricia Fili-Krushel. Retreived April 17, 2015 from http://www.nbcuniversal.com/who-we-are

[5]Andrew Lack Returns to NBC As News Chief, Will Face Challenges Restoring Credibility. Retreived April 17, 2015, from http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/andrew-lack-will-face-challenges-in-return-to-nbcu-as-news-chief-1201447765/

[6] Ann Curry Out At NBC News; Forming NBCU-Backed Startup – Update. Retrieved Retreived April 17, 2015, from http://deadline.com/2015/01/ann-curry-leaving-nbc-news-today-show-1201349168/

[7] NBC: Brian Williams Suspended for 6 Months. Retrieved April 17, 2015 from http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2015/02/10/brian-williams-nbc-suspended/23200821/

[8] NBC News Alters Account of Correspondets Kidnapping in Syria . Retrieved Retreived April 17, 2015, from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/16/business/media/nbc-news-alters-account-of-correspondents-kidnapping-in-syria.html?ref=media

[9] Pilot Season for ABC, CBS, CW, FOX, and NBC 2015-2016. Retreived April 17, 2015, 2014, from http://tvline.com/2015/01/29/pilot-season-abc-cbs-cw-fox-nbc-2015-2016/6/

[10] NBC Greenlight 10 Episode Futuristic Dramedy Apocalypse Starring Rob Lowe and Megan Mullaly. Retreived April 17, 2015, from http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2015/01/21/nbc-greenlights-10-episode-futuristic-dramedy-apocalypse-starring-rob-lowe-megan-mullally/353254/

[11]The Inside Story of the Civil War for the Soul of NBC News.Retreived April 17, 2015, from http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/04/nbc-news-brian-williams-scandal-comcast

[12] Comcast Repots 4th Quarter and End of the Year 2014 Results. Retreived April 17, 2015 from http://www.cmcsa.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=897872

Comcast/NBCUniversal

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Montana McBirney

By Montana McBirney

Comcast/NBCUniversal Logo [1]

What is Comcast/NBCUniversal?

Comcast/NBCUniversal is one of the leading companies in the fields of media, entertainment, and technology. It is under the Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK). This company owns and operates television networks, theme parks, film companies, a sports firm, television stations, and a video, Internet, and phone provider to residential customers and business [2]. The company is essentially split up into two businesses: Comcast Corporation and NBCUniversal.

NBCUniversal Logo [9]

NBCUniversal owns NBC cable networks like Bravo, E!, and MSNBC. NBC Broadcast television has NBC entertainment, news, and sports. NBC Universal also owns television stations in New York, Philadelphia, Washington, and many other markets. Telemundo is also under the umbrella of NBCUniversal, along with Universal Television [3].

How did Comcast/NBCUniversal Come Together?

In 1926, the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) formed NBC. At the New York World’s Fair in 1939, NBC unveiled the television and broadcasts [4]. After General Electric became it’s parent company in 1986, NBC had many successful years critically. In 2002, they bought the Spanish language broadcaster Telemundo and Bravo and a year later NBC merged with Vivendi Universal Entertainment to become NBCUniversal [5]. In 2011, Comcast purchased the controlling 51% of NBCUniversal from General Electric for $13.8 billion.

Who are the Faces of Comcast/NBCUniversal?

CEO NBCUniversal Stephen B. Burke [7]
CEO Comcast Corporation Brian L. Roberts [8]

What Does Comcast/NBCUniversal Own?

The picture above [10] illustrates the cable and broadcast channels that Comcast/NBCUniversal owns, along with the digital, film, and park entities that it owns. Evidenced by the many cable channels it owns, the company is focused it’s efforts on the surging cable industry. In a visit to Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, CEO Brian Roberts said that, “the world is changing,” and that, “in terms of profit, cable makes more money.” He did say however that NBC is still the engine for their company and it just as much of a focus as the cable channels are [11]. NBC also owns ten stations across the United States in places like New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. They also own 14 Telemundo stations in places like Miami, Houston, and San Antonio [21].

What is Comcast/NBCUniversal Doing Today?

In the ratings game, NBC won November sweeps for the first time in nine years. However, in February, NBC hit a new low, coming in fifth place in sweeps. Averaging a 1.2 rating among adults 18-49 put them behind Univision‘s 1.5 rating [23]. With shows like “Do No Harm” [34] preforming with dismal numbers (0.9/3), NBC started off badly. They cancelled the show after airing only two episodes [24].

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[28]

NBC’s critically acclaimed comedy “30 Rock,” ended its seventh and final season on January 31st this year. Over the many season, “30 Rock” received a whopping 90 Emmy nominations [22]. Often on the show, Tina Fey and her fellow writers wrote what was exactly happening in their life into the show. General Electric employees and “KableTown” executives frequently appeared.

In February, Comcast also made a huge deal with General Electric to buy the remaining half of NBCUniversal earlier than intended. For $16.7 billion, Comcast now has entire control over NBCUniversal. This shows Comcast’s newly energized commitment to cable and broadcast television [25].

Recently, NBC has been going through some shake ups with ratings and hosts. “Today” lost out on ratings to ABC’s “Good Morning America.” Matt Lauer has a contract expiring soon that is also up in the air [26]. The most recent problem has been how NBC handled the Jay Leno – Jimmy Fallon debacle (pictured right [29]). After months of rumors, NBC announced Jay Leno would retire in the spring of next year, with Jimmy Fallon resuming his spot as host of “The Tonight Show” [27].

Also, in February, it was announced that David Axelrod, previous chief strategist to President Barack Obama’s recent campaign, would join NBC News as a senior political analyst [35].

What is Next for Comcast/NBCUniversal?

Comcast/NBCUniversal is preparing for the end of a legendary show, for new summer shows to be released, and for the upcoming Fall 2013 pilot season.

[32]

NBC’s “The Office” will be ending it’s run on Thursday, May 16th at 9p.m. Since 2005, “The Office” has collected Emmy’s, Golden Globes and many other awards in its amazing 9 season run [13].

NBC is beginning it’s summer roll out with Bryan Fuller’s “Hannibal” which averaged a 1.6 rating/4share in adults 18-49 in its premiere on Thursday, April 4. The show got 4.3 million viewers overall, which are not great numbers but good enough considering it’s lead in was the comedy “Go On” [12]. The video below is a season preview for the new show [18].

On Tuesday, April 9th, “Ready for Love,” a relationship show with three bachelors will premiere, with Eva Longoria as Executive Producer [14] will premiere. “America’s Got Talent” will be premiering its 8th season on June 4, with new judges Mel B and Heidi Klum appearing on July 10th [15].

NBC is also scheduled to premiere their new dramedy “Camp” from creators Liz Heldens and Peter Elkoff, starring “Six Feet Under” actress Rachel Griffiths. It is about Little Hawk family Camp and the parents and kids that inhabit it [16]. “Crossing Lines” is another series scheduled for summer 2013 starring William Fichtner and Donald Sutherland [17].

Comcast/NBCUniversal’s cable networks are preparing for the future as well. The E! network is premiering a new reality show about US gold medalist swimmer Ryan Lochte called “What Would Ryan Lochte Do?”. It premieres April 21st at 10pm [19]. Bravo is premiering “Million Dollar Listing,” “Newlyweds The First Year,” and the ever so popular “Real Housewives of New Jersey,” all in the upcoming months [20].

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John Malkovich [33]

Over the past few months, NBC has been green lighting and shooting upcoming fall pilots for the 2013 season. With 24 pilots (15 comedies and 9 dramas) NBC has the most of any major network. Some of the most anticipated include “About A Boy” from “Parenthood” creator Jason Katims, “Untitled John Mulaney/Lorne Michaels” comedy from the two previously named, along with “The Office” vet Craig Robinson’s untitled comedy [30]. For drama, “Hatfields & McCoys,” starring Virginia Madsen, “Wonderland,” a modern set Alice and Wonderland, and “Crossbones,” which John Malkovich recently signed onto [31].

Works Cited

[1] NBC Peacock Spreads Wings Over Comcast. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324478304578171611450891682.html

[2] Comcast Corporate. http://corporate.comcast.com/news-information/company-overview

[3] NBCUniversal About Us. http://www.nbcuni.com/corporate/about-us/

[4] Museum of Broadcast Communications: NBC. http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=nationalbroa

[5] Timeline: NBC and Universal. http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/12/03/us-nbc-comcast-timeline-idUSTRE5B22SO20091203

[7] NBCUniversal’s Senior Executives. http://www.nbcuni.com/corporate/management/senior-corporate-executives/

[8] NBCUniversal’s Board of Directors. http://www.nbcuni.com/corporate/management/board-of-directors/

[9] NBCUniversal logo. https://twitter.com/NBCUniversal

[10] NBCUniversal’s ownership table. www.dailywireless.org/2010/01/04/top-ten-digital-broadcasting-stories-of-the-decade/

[11] Montana McBirney’s notes on Brian Roberts’ visit to Newhouse.

[12] Hannibal Ratings. http://variety.com/2013/tv/news/no-big-ratings-bite-for-hannibal-in-premiere-but-nbc-has-seen-worse-1200333622/