Comcast also reported the compensation packages of other top executives.
NBCUniversal’s Steve Burke got 2019 compensation worth $42.6 million in 2019, his final year as CEO, compared with nearly $40.0 million in 2018 and $46.5 million in 2017, according to a regulatory filing from pay TV, media and technology giant Comcast. That marked a gain of 6.5 percent.
The company also disclosed the annual pay for its chairman and CEO Brian Roberts and other top executives. Roberts made $36.4 million, up 4.0 percent compared with $35.0 million in 2018 and $32.5 million in 2017.
NBCUniversal late last year tapped Jeff Shell to take over as CEO of NBCUniversal from Burke as of Jan. 1. Burke, 61, has since been serving as chairman of NBCU and is planning to leave the company after his contract expires in August.
Shell, 54, had overseen NBC Entertainment, Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, Telemundo and NBCUniversal International. He was named chairman of Universal Filmed Entertainment in 2013.
NBCUniversal's adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization in 2019 rose 2.0 percent, with Comcast's up 13.6 percent. Comcast's stock rose 32 percent last year.
Comcast late in 2018 closed its $39 billion takeover of European pay TV giant Sky. NBCUniversal has also begun to launch its ad-supported streaming service Peacock to keep customers tied to their cable subscriptions just as they shelter at home during the coronavirus pandemic.
Peacock will rely heavily on a mix of new original programming, classic titles and live programming. Along with its entry into the streaming wars, Comcast has continued to sustain traditional cable TV customer losses as the consumer shifts away from traditional video packages and the company chooses not to chase unprofitable video customers.
