NBCUniversal is going through a major shakeup, as Chief Executive Officer Jeff Shell announced that he will be stepping down.
Comcast and Shell announced that the CEO will be departing the company immediately following the company’s investigation into a complaint of inappropriate conduct.
In the announcement, Shell commented and apologized for letting his colleagues down.
“Today is my last day as CEO of NBCUniversal,” Shell said. “I had an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the company, which I deeply regret. I’m truly sorry I let my Comcast and NBCUniversal colleagues down, they are the most talented people in the business and the opportunity to work with them the last 19 years has been a privilege.”
Per CNBC, a company email noted that Shell’s team will report to Comcast President Mike Cavanagh. The report also cited a source who stated that the company has no immediate plans to interview or search for a replacement.
Shell’s departure comes at a noteworthy time for WWE; WWE RAW and NXT both air on USA Network, which is under the NBCUniversal umbrella. Additionally, WWE has a streaming deal with Peacock. The company will negotiate deals for its media rights in the near future as its agreements with both NBCUniversal and FOX, the home of WWE SmackDown, are up in 2024.
It’s unclear whether Shell’s departure affects WWE’s relationship with NBCUniversal or the upcoming media rights negotiations.
Nick Khan recently commented on the negotiations for WWE’s upcoming media rights deals. Click here to see what he had to say.
