NBCUniversal Chief Says Premium VOD for Some Movies Will Be ‘Complementary’ to Theatrical Distribution

NBCUniversal chief Jeff Shell is not backing down from Universal’s flap with top exhibitors over the studio’s premium VOD release of “Trolls World Tour.” The NBCU CEO told investors Thursday during Comcast’s quarterly earnings call that premium VOD releases for some titles will be a “complementary element” to theatrical distribution for film titles.

Shell emphasized that he sees theatrical distribution as rebounding from the COVID-19 shutdowns. But he also stressed that the reality for many consumers is that movies are watched in the home, and studios would be foolish to ignore that fact.

“The question is, when we come out of this, what is going to be the model? I would expect that consumers will return to theaters and we will be part of that,” Shell said. “I also would expect PVOD is going be part of that offering in some way. It’s not going to be a replacement but it will be a complimentary element and we’re just going to have to see how long that takes and where it takes us.”

More to come