Live sports remain central as Peacock approaches profitability

NBCUniversal Media Chairman Matt Strauss, who oversees Peacock, said at a recent conference that Peacock is expected to become profitable in the current quarter. If achieved, it would make Peacock the last of the major streamers to reach profitability. The comments from Strauss came during the Evercore Global TMT Conference and were first reported by…

Universal’s U.K. Theme Park Reveals Name, Gets $8 Billion-Plus Commitment From Comcast as British Government Pledges Major Infrastructure Support

Universal’s first theme park and resort in the U.K. — unveiled early last year and set to be one of the biggest theme parks globally — now has an official name, plus a financial commitment described by the British government as “one of the largest ever investments in the U.K. tourism sector.” Universal United Kingdom Resort, […]

Peacock Will Finally Turn A Profit In Q2, NBCUniversal Matt Strauss Says; “A Beginning To A Validation”

NBCUniversal Media Chairman Matt Strauss, who oversees Peacock, says the 6-year-old streamer will finally turn a profit in the current quarter. Entering the black is “a big milestone for the company” and “a big milestone for the team,” Strauss said during an appearance at the Evercore Global TMT Conference on Tuesday. “It’s also a beginning […]

Leah McSweeney Claims ‘RHONY’ Smear Campaign From NBCU Exec & Andy Cohen In Bid To Save Booze- & Drug-Drenched Lawsuit

Whatever else you want to say about Leah McSweeney, it can’t be denied that the Real Housewives of New York alum is persistent when it comes to her lawsuit against reality kingpin Andy Cohen, Bravo and its parent company NBCUniversal, and Warner Bros. Discovery. Hoping to fight off a dismissal motion from Cohen and the […]

LA Screenings 2026: Buyers Hit Studio Lots With Impact Of Paramount-Warner Bros Discovery Merger Front Of Mind

As the world’s top international acquisitions executives passed through border control at LAX this week, they weren’t only getting their minds in gear for a week of LA Screenings, but were also thinking how Hollywood’s big merger might change their futures. With Paramount set to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) for $110B, the entire buying […]

The Ups & Downs Of Upfronts 2026: Disney And Netflix Sizzle, NBCUniversal Fizzles In Blessedly Streamlined Edition

Another compressed upfronts “week” is in the books, a three-day bender in New York with media and tech companies pitching their wares to advertisers. As with the NFL Draft or a venture capitalist’s early-stage bets, winners and losers can’t be determined overnight. But there always are initial takeaways and impressions, along with the dawning awareness […]

Keith Cox Leaving Paramount After 20 Years, Poised To Join Chris McCarthy & Co. At NBCUniversal

Another legacy Paramount TV executive is leaving in the wake of the Skydance merger. Company veteran Keith Cox, who has served as top programming executive for multiple brands, including TV Land, Paramount Network and Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios, is departing after two decades. His last day is Friday. Cox’s future plans have not been revealed but […]

Variety and NBCUniversal Partner on Cross-Platform Content Initiative Tied to NBC100 Anniversary Celebration

Variety and NBCUniversal have partnered on a cross-platform content initiative tied to NBC’s yearlong 100th anniversary celebration. Starting next month, Variety will publish a recurring series of NBC100 editorial and branded content across Variety’s digital, print, social, video and podcast platforms. The series is designed to examine NBC’s past, present and future. The rollout will extend…

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‘Fast and Furious’ TV Show in Development at Peacock

At the NBCUniversal upfront presentation in New York, Vin Diesel announced that a Fast and Furious television series is in development at Peacock. The long-running franchise has released 11 films so far, with a supposedly final installment, Fast Forever, arriving in 2028. The series has also produced one animated spin-off for Netflix.

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LISTEN: Tech Talk, Streaming, Sports and Reboots Dominate Day 1 of Upfronts; NBCUniversal’s Liz Jenkins on Risk-Taking Amid Disruption

On today’s episode of “Daily Variety” podcast, Variety’s Brian Steinberg reports on the triple-header kickoff of Upfronts week after attending Monday’s presentations by NBCUniversal, Fox and Amazon Prime Video. He parses each platform’s pitch to Madison Avenue. And we’ll hear from NBCUniversal Entertainment chief business officer Liz Jenkins on risk-taking in the time of disruption, in […]

NBCUniversal Upfront: Here’s What Happened At Radio City Music Hall With Vin Diesel, Tina Fey, Ariana Madix & Lots Of ‘Summer House’

NBCUniversal’s upfront presentation was, surprisingly, all about television this year. After a year focused on movies, and last year’s fixation on sports, this year’s Radio City Music Hall presentation Monday was all about the small screen. Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers, hosts of the Las Culturistas podcast and live event, opened the show with a […]

Inside NBCUniversal’s Upfront: Vin Diesel Surprise, Tina Fey Sets Up NBC’s 100th Birthday Bash and More at ‘Most Glamorous Midmorning of the Year’

The Peacock network opened its 2026 upfront presentation to advertisers Monday at Radio City MusicaHall with a laser light show that included all the colors of NBC’s logo rainbow, followed by a monologue and musical number from “Las Culturistas” hosts Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers. Set to the tune of Bruno Mars and Rosé’s “APT,” […]

Seth Meyers Disses CBS at Upfronts, a Term He Says ‘Describes How They Paid Trump to Drop the Lawsuit’

Seth Meyers closed the NBCUniversal upfront at Radio City Music Hall on Monday morning with plenty of jabs at his bosses. But perhaps his most cutting jokes were reserved for rival CBS and its Paramount Skydance owners. “CBS did not hold an upfront presentation this year because at CBS, upfront just describes how they paid […]

‘Morning Joe’ & ‘Squawk Box’ Hosts Take NBC Upfront Stage To Plug Versant Programming

Hosts from MS NOW’s Morning Joe and CNBC’s Squawk Box appeared at the NBCUniversal upfront Monday to vouch for the impact of Versant Media’s programming. For years, the talent’s presence at Radio City Music Hall would have been utterly ordinary. In 2026, though, the talent and networks are not owned by NBCUniversal. Along with a […]

Seth Meyers Mocks Ellison-Owned CBS & Trump At NBCU Upfronts: “I Heard Next Year ‘Survivor’ Is In The Strait Of Hormuz”

Seth Meyers took aim at the competition on Monday morning during NBCUniversal’s upfront presentation. “We have taken down CBS,” said the late-night host, referring to the fact that, for the first time in nearly two decades, NBC rather than CBS will take the broadcast crown for total viewers in the TV season. “Well, the Ellisons […]

4 Fast & Furious TV Shows Announced for Peacock, Vin Diesel’s Involvement Revealed

Four Fast & Furious TV shows are now in the works at Peacock, according to Vin Diesel. The Fast & Furious — also known as The Fast and the Furious — franchise officially launched at Universal Pictures in 2001 with the Rob Cohen-directed movie. Since then, there have been a large handful of sequels and […]

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Advertisers’ Wish List for Upfront? Sports, Streaming, Spectacle (and Not Much Else)

TV advertisers expect to hear a lot of big asks this year, but not so many small requests. When NBCUniversal opens the media industry’s annual “Upfront Week” Monday, it is likely to do so with talk of the 100th anniversary of the NBC broadcast network and three different types of sports to offer on Sundays. […]

Robert Greenblatt Returns To NBCU With First-Look Deal At Universal TV For His The Green Room Co., Sets ‘The Lies I Tell’ Adaptation As First Project

EXCLUSIVE: “Who said you can’t go home again?,” says former NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt, who is returning to NBCUniversal as a producer after eight years. He has signed a first-look deal with Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, to develop and produce TV projects through his production company, The Green Room. Jon […]

Versant Sells Youth Sports Digital Outlet SportsEngine

Versant, which has telegraphed plans for M&A since spinning off from Comcast, has executed an expected sell-off of youth sports digital specialist SportsEngine to another company in the sector, PlayMetrics. The asset had long been rumored to be on the list of assets Versant was looking to shed. NBCUniversal acquired it in 2016 and it […]

LISTEN: NBCUniversal’s Pearlena Igbokwe on the Return of Pilots, the Value of Co-Viewing, and Leveraging Broadcast and Streaming Platforms

On today’s episode of Variety’s “Strictly Business” podcast, NBCUniversal’s Pearlena Igbokwe details the company’s key areas of focus following its transition with the Versant Media spinoff at the start of this year. Igbokwe, who is NBCUniversal’s chairman of Television Studios, NBC Entertainment and Peacock scripted, discusses the return of the pilot process at NBC, the […]

Jez Butterworth Sets Five Year Film and TV Deal with Universal Entertainment

Jez Butterworth has signed a five-year film and television deal with Universal Entertainment, Variety has learned. The deal will begin in January 2027. “Jez Butterworth is a versatile creator whose storytelling has a way of getting under your skin. Whether it’s on stage or screen, his distinct voice is surprising and intense but always deeply […]

The BBC & NBCUniversal Name Winner Of Unscripted Format Development Tender

The BBC and NBCUniversal continue to search for entertainment gold together and today have revealed the winners of “a highly competitive process” for an upcoming unscripted show. UK companies Expectation and Plegazoid as the successful candidate to develop an unscripted format “with an innovative and compelling twist on a studio-based gameshow.” It’s understood the pair […]

Comcast Stock Pops As Olympics, Super Bowl Fire Up Q1 Advertising, Broadband Improves

Comcast blew past Wall Street forecasts on the top and bottom lines for the three months ended in March as ad sales boomed and shaky broadband appears to be turning around. The Winter Olympics the Super Bowl added $2.2 billion in incremental advertising revenue. The shares, which have been poky over the past year, jumped […]

Comcast Generates an Extra $2.2 Billion From Olympics, Super Bowl, but Sees Q1 Profit Slip

What kind of business tightrope are media companies walking in 2026? Comcast generated an extra $2.2 billion due to NBC’s February telecasts of the Winter Olympics from Milan Cortina and the Super Bowl. And yet, the cable-and-content giant said profit fell 35.6% as it invested in upgrades to its crucial cable and broadband business and […]

Not All About The Benjamins: NBCU Sees Sean Combs’ $100M Defamation Suit Thrown Out

Still awaiting a ruling from a trio of Appeal Court judges over his criminal case, the incarcerated Sean “Diddy” Combs got some bad legal news today. A New York judge just threw out the Bad Boy Records founder’s over a year old $100 million defamation lawsuit against NBCUniversal. In fact, Empire State Supreme Court judge Phaedra […]

Peacock’s Ad-Free Tier Coming To Roku Premium Subscriptions Under New Agreement

EXCLUSIVE: Peacock’s ad-free tier, Premium Plus, will soon be available on Roku Premium Subscriptions under a new agreement between NBCUniversal and the major streaming provider. Along with being ad-free (outside of live sports) the highest plan of Peacock allows users to download programming for offline viewing and also provides geo-targeted local TV stations. It costs […]

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Jeff Shell Out… Again: Scandal-Plagued Paramount Exec Out at Worst Possible Moment

Hollywood’s revolving door for scandal scarred executives just spun again and the timing couldn’t be worse for the biggest media merger in years. Jeff Shell, who got booted as CEO of NBCUniversal in 2023 after an internal probe confirmed an inappropriate relationship with a CNBC anchor, somehow landed on his feet as President of the […]

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Jeff Shell Out As Paramount President

EXCLUSIVE: For the second time in three years, Jeff Shell has been ousted from a top corporate perch. Back in April 2023, the exec lost his job as NBCUniversal CEO amidst allegations of inappropriate conduct with a female CNBC reporter. Today, after weeks of claims about indiscretion and a multi-million legal back and forth, Shell […]

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