Jeff Shell, NBCUniversal's recently appointed CEO, has tested positive for coronavirus, Variety has confirmed.In a memo to staff, Shell said he was diagnosed with the virus after "feeling under the weather." He told employees that he will self-quarantine and work from home indefinitely while he recovers."I recently have been feeling under the weather and just learned that I have tested positive for Covid-19," Shell wrote. "Although the virus has been tough to cope with, I have managed to work remotely...
NBCUniversal
Jeff
Shell
CEO
Shell didn’t win ratings gold with NBC’s coverage of the Tokyo Summer Olympics, which attracted some 15.5 million nightly, down 42% from 2016. He blamed the decline on “bad luck” including a one-year postponement and lack of spectators, both due to COVID. He insisted the Games still turned a profit, important given that the network is paying $12 billion for Olympics broadcast rights through 2032. The Games also goosed the numbers for streaming service Peacock, helping it amass 54 million sign-ups and 20 million monthly users as of August 2021. Shell is looking to attract more viewers to Peacock, as well as theaters, with upcoming content including “Jurassic World: Dominion,” “Minions: The Rise of Gru” and a trio of “Exorcist” sequels from Blumhouse.