Latest news with #ComcastNBCUniversal
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Universal Will Open UK Theme Park & Resort, Its First in Europe
Universal Epic Universe in Orlando hasn't even officially opened, yet the company already has epic new plans. It's expanding its theme park footprint in a different way, with a location on the other side of the Atlantic. Comcast NBCUniversal has announced plans to open its first-ever entertainment complex in Europe. It's building a massive new Universal theme park and resort in the United Kingdom. Europe's first Universal-branded theme park and resort is heading across the pond. Comcast NBCUniversal says it's pursuing its first resort complex in Europe. It's building its next great locale on a 476-acre parcel in Bedford purchased in 2023. The company notes that's a 35 minute train ride north of London. It also says the park's location is connected by fast rail links to 80 percent of England's population and half of the UK population by 'two hours travel time. ' Universal Destinations & Experiences will design and build the United Kingdom complex. What will it actually include, though? The proposed plans must still undergo approval, which the company will submit in the coming months, so it can begin building in 2026. For no,w Comcast NBCUniversal says the UK Universal resort will 'feature a 500-room hotel and a retail, dining and entertainment complex.' As for the 'world-class' theme park, the company promises 'several themed lands featuring Universal's distinct style of immersive and thrilling rides, innovative attractions and exciting entertainment.' That doesn't tell us much about what those lands will actually be. (We're betting 'The War of the Roses' is not among them, but we can dream…) The generic concept art for the UK Universal park doesn't reveal much either. Our best guess as to what lands might be included is to look at what Universal has recently built. 'Expanding into Europe presents us with a significant opportunity to reach new fans and share the incredible experiences our team creates,' said Mark Woodbury, Chairman and CEO of Universal Destinations & Experiences, in a press release. The company also believes/hopes/is trying to will into existence huge success. It says the park will become 'one of the highest-attended attractions in the continent and to bring in millions of new visitors to the UK.' If it's as epic as everything else Universal theme parks are currently doing, it will bring in visitors from outside the UK, too.
NBC Sports
20-03-2025
- Business
- NBC Sports
STATEMENT
Brian Roberts, Chairman and CEO of Comcast, on the election of Kirsty Coventry as IOC President: 'Congratulations to Kirsty Coventry, whose experience as an Olympic champion and years of dedicated service to the Olympic movement make her historic election a well-deserved honor. We look forward to working with her for many years to come. We also congratulate President Thomas Bach for his twelve years of exceptional leadership. The relationship between Comcast NBCUniversal and the IOC has never been stronger thanks to his commitment to our partnership.'
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Here's why a top leader of Utah's 2034 Winter Games is in Greece this week
Fraser Bullock made the most of sitting across from outgoing International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach during a two-hour bus ride from the site of the ancient Olympics in Greece. 'We had a great chat,' said Bullock, president and executive chair of Utah's 2034 Winter Games organizing committee, who is in Greece for this week's IOC meetings, where a new IOC president will be elected Thursday. On their way back to the resort town of Costa Navarino Tuesday, Bullock said he and Bach talked about the IOC's new $3 billion deal with Comcast NBCUniversal that extends the multi-platform company's U.S. media rights through Utah's next Olympics as well as the 2036 Summer Games. Bach told reporters Monday negotiations had been underway for a year. Utah's Olympic organizers eventually will receive a share of that and other broadcast rights and international sponsorships negotiated by the IOC, as will the yet-to-be-named host of the 2036 Summer Games. Exactly how much the new deal means for Utah's $4 billion Winter Games budget has not been disclosed. Organizers are relying entirely on private funds, currently from donors but later largely raised from the sale of broadcast rights, international and domestic sponsorships, and tickets. 'I congratulated him on the successful renewal,' Bullock said of his conversation with the IOC president, telling him 'how important that was to us, and how we can work together to leverage their technology.' At the end of the exchange, Bullock said he and Bach 'did a high-five.' Later that evening, the pair exchanged gifts. Bullock gave Bach a copy of five generations of his family history prepared by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And Bach gave him a sculpture of an olive tree, the source of the wreaths worn by ancient Olympic champions. 'He learned many new things about his family. It is always special when we learn more about our heritage,' Bullock said, describing how he and Bach spent a half-hour together sharing family history anecdotes. One of the organizing committee's two paid employees, Darren Hughes, vice president of operations and planning, is also in Greece. Utah Games CEO Brad Wilson didn't make the trip because a daughter was returning this week from a Latter-day Saint mission. In Greece, the Utah organizers are spending time with their counterparts from the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles and the 2030 Winter Games in the French Alps, as well as with key members of the IOC staff and several international sport federations, including hockey. But aside from the behind-the-scenes meetings, there's not much attention being paid to the 2034 Games at the IOC's annual session that began with Tuesday's opening ceremony in Olympia and continues through Thursday. A presentation by the Utah organizing committee scheduled Thursday, the same day as the IOC presidential election, was scrapped in favor of a written report. Bullock said he was notified a month ago there wasn't time for the session to hear from Utah. The written report is not public but will be acknowledged during the session, he said, calling it 'a collaboration with the IOC, brief, giving an update that we formed the organizing committee and have initiated our work.' It's only been a month since the details of the entity responsible for putting on the state's next Winter Games were announced, including the leaders selected by Gov. Spencer Cox, Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, and House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper. Bullock, however, is not new to what's known as the Olympic movement. He's been involved since serving as the chief operating officer of the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City under former U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney and led the bid to bring the Olympics back to Utah. At Wednesday's IOC session, Bullock made a brief appearance in a video tribute to Bach, praising the changes made under Bach's 12-year tenure as president to the way cities and now even multiple regions and countries bid to host a Games. That, Bullock said, was 'a special privilege.' He has said Utah's organizers do not have a favorite among the seven IOC members vying to replace Bach. The race is widely seen as between Great Britain's Sebastian Coe, Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry and Spain's Juan Antonia Samaranch Jr.
Washington Post
13-03-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
NBC and IOC sign $3B Olympic media rights deal through 2036 including Salt Lake City Winter Games
LAUSANNE, Switzerland — The IOC has signed a $3 billion deal with its long-time United States broadcast partner NBC for the 2034 Salt Lake City Olympics and the 2036 Summer Games. The International Olympic Committee said in a statement Thursday the agreement elevates Comcast NBCUniversal to being a strategic partner instead of just a media rights holder, promising 'innovative joint strategic initiatives and projects' and involving the streaming platform Peacock.
NBC Sports
13-03-2025
- Business
- NBC Sports
IOC AND COMCAST NBCUNIVERSAL AGREE ON GROUNDBREAKING PARTNERSHIP FOR THE NEW DIGITAL ERA, INCLUDING AN EXTENSION OF THEIR OLYMPIC MEDIA RIGHTS AGREEMENT UNTIL 2036
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND and PHILADELPHIA, PA – (March 13, 2025) – The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Comcast NBCUniversal have agreed on a new groundbreaking partnership for the new digital era, taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the rapidly developing media landscape and the unique expertise of the global media and technology company. The agreement includes not only the media rights on all platforms in the United States of America for the Olympic Games through to 2036, but also new, innovative joint strategic initiatives and projects. The partnership, which was approved by the IOC Executive Board (EB) yesterday, will start in 2025 and takes the longstanding partnership between the IOC and Comcast NBCUniversal to a new level, from media rights-holder to strategic partner. The extension of the media rights for the 2033-2036 cycle, covering the Olympic Winter Games Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 and the Olympic Games 2036 (host yet to be determined), is valued at USD 3 billion and is a major contribution to the long-term financial stability of the entire Olympic Movement. The IOC distributes 90 per cent of the revenue it generates to support athletes and sports organisations around the world. With immediate effect, the new partnership provides additional value, including: building on Comcast's expertise in technology infrastructure, connectivity and media to support the delivery of the Olympic Games; support for the in-venue distribution of the live TV coverage of Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS); support to OBS in the production of the Olympic Video Player; collaboration on digital advertising opportunities in the United States; the IOC benefitting from Comcast's investment in relevant and innovative start-ups; the extension of the media rights agreement across all platforms in the United States for the Olympic Games until 2036 on NBCUniversal, including its streaming platform Peacock. IOC President Thomas Bach said: 'This agreement with Comcast is groundbreaking because it goes far beyond the traditional media rights agreement which we have had for many years with our valued partner. Thanks to their innovative approach, serving on all platforms from linear to streaming and digital, we can now take our partnership to new heights for the benefit of athletes, Olympic stakeholders, Organising Committees and fans. The media landscape is evolving rapidly and, by partnering with one of the world's leading media and technology companies, we will ensure that fans in the United States are able to experience the Olympic Games like never before.' Comcast Chairman and CEO Brian Roberts said: 'There is no event like the Olympics. Its power to bring joy, and the unifying spirit it embodies, are truly unique. We live in a time when technology is driving faster and more fundamental transformation than we've seen in decades. This groundbreaking, new, long-term partnership between Comcast NBCUniversal and the International Olympic Committee not only recognises this dynamic but anticipates that it will accelerate. It is our honour to continue to bring the full power of our company's expertise in creating and distributing content that connects with Americans, as well as to begin to provide even more innovative technological support and solutions to the IOC and its stakeholders in areas that benefit athletes and the many people dedicated to organising the Olympic Games around the world.' The President of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), Gene Sykes, said: 'As we recommit to our collective mission, this groundbreaking partnership between the IOC, Comcast NBCUniversal and the USOPC signifies a new era of collaboration and engagement that will enhance the Olympic and Paralympic Movements immediately. With our eyes set on the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 and beyond, we are excited to leverage innovative technologies and shared resources that will ensure an unforgettable experience for athletes and fans alike.' NBCUniversal's fully distributed coverage of Paris 2024 generated consumption records and milestones wherever fans were watching. The company's coverage from Paris reached an average of 67 million total viewers per day across its broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. Fans streamed 23.5 billion minutes of NBCUniversal's Paris 2024 coverage, led by streaming service Peacock – 40 per cent more than all prior Olympic Summer and Winter Games combined. Gen Z powered a record 6.55 billion impressions across NBCUniversal's social media platforms for Paris 2024, a 184 per cent increase compared to Tokyo 2020. Comcast NBCUniversal has a deep and critically acclaimed history with the Olympic Games and the Olympic Movement. Beginning with Tokyo 1964, NBCUniversal has presented 19 total Olympic Games and 13 consecutive editions, more than any other US media company. Today's announcement means that at the conclusion of the Summer Games in 2036, NBCUniversal will have presented 25 Olympic Games and 19 consecutive editions. Comcast is also a major sponsor of the Olympic and Paralympic Movements in the US, having served as an Official Partner of Team USA since 2017. About the International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee is a not-for-profit, civil, non-governmental, international organisation made up of volunteers which is committed to building a better world through sport. It redistributes more than 90 per cent of its income to the wider sporting movement, which means that every day the equivalent of USD 4.7 million goes to help athletes and sports organisations at all levels around the world. About Comcast Corporation Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company. From the connectivity and platforms we provide, to the content and experiences we create, our businesses reach hundreds of millions of customers, viewers, and guests worldwide. We deliver world-class broadband, wireless, and video through Xfinity, Comcast Business, and Sky; produce, distribute, and stream leading entertainment, sports, and news through brands including NBC, Telemundo, Universal, Peacock, and Sky; and bring incredible theme parks and attractions to life through Universal Destinations & Experiences. Visit for more information. # # # Media Contacts: IOC Tel: +41 21 621 6000; pressoffice@ or visit Comcast Jennifer Khoury, (215) 531-3296 Jennifer_Khoury@ John Demming, (215) 429-4744 John_Demming@ NBCUniversal Greg Hughes, (404) 394-3700 Dan Masonson, (203) 356-2790
