NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke expected to step down in 2020, according to new report

Virginia Sherwood/NBCUniversal

• NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke is expected to step down from his post next year, according to Variety.
• Multiple sources told the outlet that Jeff Shell, currently the chairman of NBCUniversal Film and Entertainment, will likely take Burke's place.
• It's unclear when exactly Burke would step down, as his contact formally expires in August.
• Burke is stepping down amid allegations from journalist Ronan Farrow in his book "Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators," claiming that Burke and other NBC executives tried to bury his investigative reporting against film producer Harvey Weinstein.
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NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke is expected to step down from his post next year, according to Variety.

Multiple sources told the outlet that Jeff Shell, currently the chairman of NBCUniversal Film and Entertainment, will likely take Burke's place.

In January, the company shook up its executive ranks to prepare for its launch of a streaming service, which gave Jeff Shell oversight of NBC Entertainment, Telemundo, and NBCUniversal's international operations.

According to Variety, Burke's contract expires in August 2020, but sources say his departure may come earlier in the year.

A filing reported by CBS News indicated that Burke was the highest-paid employee at NBCUniversal's 'parent company Comcast in 2018, earning almost $40 million.

Burke is stepping down amid allegations from journalist Ronan Farrow in his book "Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators," published last month, claiming that Burke and other NBC executives tried to bury his investigative reporting against film producer Harvey Weinstein.

Farrow's story detailed allegations of sexual harassment against Weinstein, and was eventually published by The New Yorker in 2017 and won a shared Pulitzer Prize. According to Farrow, Burke made the ultimate decision for NBC News not to run the story.

In his book, Farrow wrote that one of Weinstein's staff described Burke as "in Weinstein's pockets."

Burke has also taken heat for his handling of allegations of sexual harassment at NBC News. According to Farrow, Burke was warned about the harassment culture at NBC News in 2015, two years before anchor Matt Lauer was fired amid misconduct allegations from three initial accusers.

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