Comcast to spin off cable channels MSNBC, USA

Comcast Corp. plans to spin off cable-TV channels including MSNBC, CNBC and USA, following through on plans first announced last month.

The NBC broadcast network and Peacock streaming TV business will remain with the parent company, the Philadelphia-based cable provider said in a statement Wednesday. So will Bravo, a cable channel with reality TV shows that are popular on streaming. The new publicly traded company will include digital assets such as Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes through a tax-free spin-off, Comcast said.

The assets in the newly separated entity, including Oxygen, E! and Syfy, have collectively generated about $7 billion in revenue over the past 12 months, according to the company.

The transaction positions the new entity and NBCUniversal “to play offense in a changing media landscape,” Comcast President Mike Cavanagh said. “Taken together, the entirety of NBCUniversal will be on a new growth trajectory, fueled by our world-class content, technology, IP, properties and talent.”

With the move, Comcast is reducing its exposure to a business that’s losing viewers and advertisers to new players like Netflix Inc. Rivals Walt Disney Co., Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. and Paramount Global have all taken billion-dollar writeoffs on the their traditional TV businesses as they continue to invest in streaming. The new structure will set up the new company to be able to make deals of its own.

A new merger-friendly administration poised to take over in Washington may be more open to letting struggling cable TV businesses combine. The new business, which will be distributed to existing Comcast shareholders, will be well capitalized and positioned for growth, Comcast executives said.

Mark Lazarus, the chairman of NBCUniversal’s media group, overseeing TV and streaming, will become chief executive officer of the new company.

Comcast Chairman Brian Roberts will have a one-third voting stake in the new company, mirroring the current arrangement at Comcast.

The cable channel spin-off “makes sense given that it’s a structurally tough business, with cord-cutting eroding over 20% of profit in the past four years,” Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Geetha Ranganathan wrote in a note.

As Bloomberg News reported earlier, Comcast plans management changes that will expand the portfolios of two senior leaders.

Donna Langley, NBC’s chief content officer, will become chairman of NBCUniversal Entertainment & Studios, while Matt Strauss, who head the company’s direct-to-consumer streaming businesses, will take Lazarus’ old position.

Comcast has said it has several growth businesses, including internet access, wireless phone service, streaming TV and theme parks.

The spinoff “clearly signals that management is open to alternatives for its mature assets facing secular challenges while it continues to invest behind its six growth engines,” Evercore ISI analyst Kutgun Maral said in a research note earlier this month.

The spinoff presents some operational challenges, particularly for news channels MSNBC and CNBC. Both have close ties to NBC News, which will stay with the parent company.

“We question how valuable cable networks would be stand-alone, without ties to NBCU’s studio and streaming capability, and lacking advertising tie-ins,” Macquarie Capital’s Tim Nollen said when the spinoff was first proposed.

Comcast said it’s aiming to complete the spin-off in about a year, subject to regulatory and other approvals. Goldman Sachs & Co. and Morgan Stanley & Co. are serving as financial advisors to Comcast. Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP is serving as legal counsel.