Newly interim NBCUniversal boss Mike Cavanagh has spoken out on the Jeff Shell shocker for the first time and said he’ll be in post “for a while.”
Speaking at the Q&A section of today’s Comcast Q1 results, Cavanagh, who stepped into the breach this week following Shell’s departure amid sexual harassment and discrimination claims, said it is “unfortunate to have had the unexpected change.”
But while Comcast President Cavanagh conceded he will “have to work harder,” he said he is “frankly energized to do so.”
“Overseeing NBC is sustainable because as Preident I already oversee all of this and am close to the people that run the NBC businesses and corporate areas,” he added. “I’m going to be here for a long time and that is good for me and the company in the long term. Maybe some day we’ll think there’s a better way to do it and I will own the outcome anyway it turns out. But I’ll be there for a while.”
There will be no change in strategy within the parks and studio business for the time being, Cavanagh added.
“There is no reason for us to revisit the strategy [at the moment],” he said. “We’ll react as the environment changes but businesses are performing really well. So job number one is to settle things down and make sure business leaders remain focused on the job at hand and feel that is well underway.”
Cavanagh stressed that he knows the business well, having joined Comcast eight years ago and been promoted to President last year.
Speaking prior to Cavanagh, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts conceded the Shell ouster was a “tough moment” while paying tribute to “the fabulous and tenured leadership team at NBCUniversal.”
Shell had risen through the ranks at the company to become CEO of NBCU in 2020, succeeding Steve Burke. He acknowledged having had an “inappropriate relationship” with a female employee, with the company then emphasizing that it had let Shell go with cause due to complaints of sexual harassment and discrimination.
Cavanagh was speaking at Comcast’s Q1 results, which showed a 4% year-over-year dip in revenue in the first quarter to $29.7 billion while just exceeding Wall Street forecasts.
In parks, EBITDA improved by an impressive 46% and revenue 25%, with Cavanagh pointing to the division as being a key driver for growth.
Japan and China “came roaring back” following the lifting of Covid restrictions and there is more to come with Donkey Kong, Nintendo Land and Epic Universe. “Parks are resonating and this segment is on a role” he added.

This data comes from MediaIntel.Asia's Media Intelligence and Media Monitoring Platform.