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NBCUniversal chief executive Jeff Shell has left the US media giant after a sexual harassment allegation was made against him.
The network’s parent company Comcast, which also owns UK pay-TV broadcast network Sky, initially said he was let go after having an ‘inappropriate relationship’. Shell’s conduct had been investigated by an external firm following a complaint, and he has now apologised for his actions.
‘I had an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the company, which I deeply regret,’ Shell said in a statement.
‘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.’
Comcast have not yet announced a successor for Shell. The media conglomerate this week announced a four per cent year-over-year (YoY) drop in revenue for the fiscal first quarter of 2023, which amounted to US$29.7 billion. Its media revenue fell by 20 per cent YoY to US$6.15 billion, while the streaming service Peacock was revealed to have 22 million subscribers, and increased its revenue by 45 per cent YoY to US$685 million.
Meanwhile, Sarah Massey has been appointed as the managing director for the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, which will be held in England. She arrives in her new role having recently served as the chief executive of the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Oregon, while having also worked previously at the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
In other news, Disney’s recent job cuts have resulted in several ESPN executives losing their jobs, including Russell Wolff, the head of ESPN+. Nate Silver, the founder of analytics blog FiveThirtyEight, and Mike Soltys, the vice president of corporate communications, have also been made redundant as a result of the layoffs, with more cuts expected to be coming later in the summer.
Appointments
James Bisgrove
Chief executive, Rangers
Deborah Crawford
Senior vice president, head of investor relations, Fanatics
Previously: Vice president, head of investor relations, Meta
Diego Gigliani
President and general manager, St Louis City SC
Gerard Griffin
Chief financial officer, Sportradar
Previously: Chief financial officer, Zynga
Enric Rojas
Director of sports, Movistar+
Previously: Chief executive, Kosmos Tennis
Tracey Leinen
Chief operating officer, Arena Football League
Previously: Chief operating officer, Team Management
Sam Toles
Chief media and entertainment officer, Misfits Gaming Group
Previously: Chief content officer, IFit
Tim Shaw
Advisory board, Grace Blue
Notes: Shaw has extensive experience in golf having previously worked at the PGA Tour for more than 20 years, including serving as commercial director for the Ryder Cup.
Departures
Stewart Robertson
Managing director, Rangers
Jake Edwards
President, United Soccer League (USL)
Earl Cochrane
General secretary, Canada Soccer
Note: Jason deVos has been appointed as interim general secretary.
