NBCUniversal
NBCUniversal Media, LLC (abbreviated as NBCU and doing business as simply NBCUniversal or Comcast NBCUniversal since 2013) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate that is a subsidiary of Comcast and is headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Midtown Manhattan in New York City.
Logo used since Feb 2, 2011 | |
NBCUniversal's headquarters at the Comcast Building (30 Rockefeller Plaza) in New York City | |
NBCUniversal | |
Formerly | NBC Universal, Inc. (2004โ2011) |
Company type | Subsidiary |
Industry | |
Predecessors | |
Founded | May 11, 2004 |
Headquarters | Comcast Building, , U.S. |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people |
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Products |
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Services | |
Revenue | US$39.2 billion (2022) |
Number of employees | 35,000 (2020) |
Parent | Comcast |
Divisions | |
Subsidiaries |
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Website | nbcuniversal |
Footnotes / references |
1912 | Universal Pictures is founded |
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1926 | NBC is founded |
1953 | NBC begins first compatible color broadcasts, preceding other networks by nine years |
1956 | NBC's peacock logo debuts |
1963 | American Cable Systems is founded |
1967 | NBC broadcasts the first-ever Super Bowl |
1968 | American Cable Systems rebrands to Comcast |
1975 | Universal releases Jaws |
1982 | Universal releases E.T. The Extra Terrestrial |
1972 | Comcast began trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) |
1985 | Universal's Back to the Future premieres |
1986 | General Electric buys NBC for $6.4 billion |
1989 | NBC launches CNBC |
1990 | Universal Studios Florida opens |
1993 | Universal's Jurassic Park premieres |
1996 | NBC and Microsoft launch MSNBC |
1999 | Universal Studios Florida expands to become Universal Orlando Resort |
2001 | Grand opening of Universal Studios Japan and Universal's The Fast and the Furious premieres |
2002 | NBC acquires Telemundo and Bravo Focus Features is formed Comcast acquires AT&T Broadband for $44.5 billion |
2003 | Universal becomes the first studio with five summer releases breaking the $100 million mark |
2004 | GE and Vivendi merge NBC and Universal into NBCUniversal |
2005 | Comcast and Time Warner Cable acquire Adelphia Cable assets for $17.6 billion |
2006 | USA Network begins 13-year streak as #1 cable network in total viewers |
2007 | Illumination Entertainment is founded |
2010 | Illumination's Despicable Me premieres |
2011 | Vivendi divested in NBCU; Comcast buys 51% of NBCU from GE, turning it into a limited liability company |
2013 | Comcast buys GE's remaining 49% of NBCU |
2014 | Comcast attempts to acquire Time Warner Cable for $45.2 billion NBCUniversal reaches a new long-term deal with WWE |
2016 | NBCU acquires DreamWorks Animation |
2018 | Comcast acquires Sky |
2020 | NBCU launches Peacock |
NBCUniversal is primarily involved in the media and entertainment industry. The company is named for its two most significant divisions, the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) โ one of the United States' Big Three television networks โ and the major Hollywood film studio Universal Pictures. It also has a significant presence in broadcasting through a portfolio of domestic and international properties, including USA, Syfy, Bravo, E!, Telemundo (Spanish), Universal Kids, the streaming service Peacock and ownership stakes in Snap and Vox Media. Via its Universal Destinations & Experiences division, NBCUniversal is also the third-largest operator of amusement parks in the world. Since 2018, its sister company under Comcast's control, Sky Group Limited, holds its media and telecommunication assets.
NBCUniversal was formed on May 11, 2004, beginning on November 8, 2004 as NBC Universal, Inc., with the merger of General Electric (GE)'s NBC with Vivendi Universal's film and television subsidiary Vivendi Universal Entertainment, after GE had acquired 80% of the subsidiary, giving Vivendi a 20% share of the new company. In 2011, Comcast attained 51% and thereby the control of newly reformed NBCUniversal, by purchasing shares from GE, while GE bought out Vivendi. Since 2013, the company has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast, which bought GE's ownership stake.