Company History: NBC Universal was created in May 2004 when GE merged their NBC unit with Vivendi Universal Entertainment. Separately, NBC and Universal were dominant figures in both television and film respectively. By combining the two, GE and Vivendi have created one of the largest entertainment companies in the world. NBC Universal is now a dominant player in just about every aspect of entertainment, from television and film to radio and theme parks.
NBC and Universal have had a long standing relationship dating back to 1950 in the television realm. With the recent merge, NBC Studios and Universal Television became NBC Universal Television Studios, which is more commonly referred to under the unfortunate acronym, N.U.T.S.
Prior to the merger, NBC was on a buying spree having purchased a number of well known media properties such as Telemundo, Bravo and iVillage among others. NBC had also developed a fair amount of its own reputable brands such as CNBC and MSNBC.
Company Assets and Entertainment Brands: With NBC as coming in as a television and radio power house and Universal with its highly successful film division and theme parks (not to mention the extensive and quite successful TV division of its own) NBC Universal has truly become a dominant media player. Here are a few of the properties that now fall under the NBC Universal banner:
- Film Production: Universal Pictures, Universal Studios, Focus Features
- Television and Television Production: NBC Universal Television Studio, Bravo, Sci Fi Network, iVillage, Sleuth, USA, Chiller, Telemundo, MUN2TV
Major Players: NBC Universal is where some of the most dynamic and well regarded executives in the business call home. Here's a partial list of some of the key figures in the NBC Universal family:
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Jeff Zucker: President and Chief Executive Officer, NBC Universal
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Marc Graboff: Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and NBC Universal Television Studio
- Jay Ireland: President, NBC Universal Television Stations and Network Operations
- Ron Meyer: President and Cheif Operating Officer, Universal Studios
- Ben Silverman: Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and NBC Universal Television Studio
