Steve Burke is expected to step down as CEO of NBCUniversal next year and is likely to hand the reins to Jeff Shell, who is now chairman of NBCUniversal Film and Entertainment, multiple sources tell Variety.
Burke’s NBCUniversal contract formally expires in August 2020, but sources say he could depart earlier in the year. Shell, who is now based in Los Angeles, will split his time between New York and the West Coast should he assume the CEO post, according to people familiar with his plans.
An NBCUniversal spokesman declined to comment on the matter.
In January, Burke enacted a dramatic shakeup of NBCUni leadership that placed Shell in a prime position to replace him, industry insiders noted at the time.
In the reorganization, Shell gained oversight of NBC Entertainment, Telemundo and NBCUni’s international operations, in addition to overseeing the Universal Studios outfit. Shell’s colleague Mark Lazarus was also upped to chairman of NBCUniversal broadcast, cable, sports and news in January.
Lazarus had been viewed as another potential successor for Burke. However, as speculation about Burke’s future has increased internally over the past few weeks, insiders say they’re confident that Shell is the heir apparent.
Burke, who has elected to leave his NBCUniversal post, is working on formalizing his exit plans. No deals are yet in place for Burke or a successor, another insider added. There is speculation that Burke could move into a role at Comcast or in overseeing Sky, the satellite TV giant Comcast acquired last year for $40 billion.
The January restructuring at NBCU carved up a considerable amount of power and minimized the number of direct reports to the office of the CEO, an analysis from Variety said. In addition to title and duty bumps for Shell and Lazarus, Bonnie Hammer shifted from running NBCU’s entertainment cable networks to become chairman of direct-to-consumer and digital enterprises, where she steered the launch plans for Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service set to debut in April. Hammer in October moved again to the role of NBCUniversal Content Studios chairman, overseeing all broadcast, cable and digital production for the company.
Donna Langley became the sole chairman of the Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, adding global theatrical distribution and home entertainment to her portfolio. She is the only woman at present to lead a major Hollywood studio, and reports to Shell.
Burke was named CEO in January 2011, when Comcast closed its initial acquisition of a majority stake in NBCUniversal from General Electric. A Comcast veteran, Burke was previously chief operating officer of Comcast and before that, president of Comcast Cable.
(Pictured: Steve Burke and Jeff Shell)