Comcast is splitting from its NBCUniversal television arm as the market of cable TV customers shrinks in the age of cord-cutting and TikTok. The US media giant announced plans on Wednesday to spin off the bulk of its cable network channels — including CNBC, MSNBC, Universal Kids, USA Network, E!, Oxygen, Golf Channel, and Syfy — into a separate company. Comcast will retain its reality TV darling Bravo and the Peacock streaming service within its NBC TV business.
“This transaction positions both SpinCo and NBCUniversal to play offense in a changing media landscape,” Comcast president Mike Cavanagh said in the announcement. “Taken together, the entirety of NBCUniversal will be on a new growth trajectory, fueled by our world-class content, technology, IP, properties and talent – all working in concert with each other as an integrated media company.