Shell expected to be successor

Steve Burke, the well regarded CEO of Comcast's NBCUniversal unit, is expected to step down and be succeeded by Jeff Shell, head of NBCU Film and Entertainment, according to a published report.

Variety said that Burke’s contract ended in August, but he could leave earlier in the year. An NBCU spokesman declined to comment to Variety and had not returned messages left by Broadcasting + Cable.

On Thursday night, Burke was at NBCU’s annual holiday reception for the press and seemed excited about the launch of Peacock, the company’s entry into the streaming wars.

Burke became CEO for NBCU when Comcast acquired the broadcast company in 2011. He had been head of Comcast cable operations and had just about finished successfully integrating Comcast’s systems with those of TCI, which Comcast had bought earlier. Before joining Comcast, Burke was with Disney. His father, Dan Burke, was one of the top execs at CapitalCities ABC.

In 2018, Burke made $39.9 million in total compensation from Comcast, down from $46.5 million the prior year. His boss, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, received $35 million in 2018.