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NBCUniversal is planning to lay off dozens of employees as the African streamer Showmax shuts down

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  • NBCUniversal is planning to cut dozens of employees as the African streamer it jointly operated with Canal+ shuts down.
  • Showmax was an “expensive failure,” said Canal+, which owns 70% of the venture.
  • NBCU employees were informed about the change on Wednesday.

NBCUniversal is planning to let go of dozens of staffers as an African streaming service it operated in partnership with French broadcaster Canal+ shuts down.

The layoffs affect employees who worked on the streamer Showmax, two people familiar with the cuts told Business Insider. A streaming employee briefed on Wednesday on the cuts said about a dozen US staffers on the global streaming product team were impacted, and that dozens of others could be affected internationally. A second person familiar with the layoffs said there’s a consultation process involved with the international cuts.

Showmax, which Canal+ operated jointly with Comcast subsidiaries NBCU and Sky, told customers last week that it would be shut down, though it didn’t say when.

Canal+ called the money-losing Showmax an “expensive failure” in its fourth-quarter earnings report on Wednesday. The French company owns 70% of Showmax after acquiring South African TV provider MultiChoice. Comcast holds the remaining 30% stake in all but one of the 44 African countries where Showmax operates.

The soon-to-be-gone Showmax runs on the same tech platform as US-only Peacock and the European streamer SkyShowtime.

Unlike other major streamers, Peacock isn’t trying to go worldwide.

Comcast co-CEO Mike Cavanagh said in early March that the flagship streamer isn’t planning to expand internationally, telling investors that “domestic is our path.”




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NBCUniversal is suing Group Black, alleging breach of contract and seeking nearly $36 million

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Comcast’s NBCUniversal has sued Group Black, a firm created to direct ad dollars to Black-owned and Black-led media, alleging it owes the media giant $35.8 million in unpaid invoices and guaranteed payments.

The suit, filed February 11 in New York Supreme Court, stems from a partnership that gave Group Black exclusive rights to sell ads in Black-led shows on NBCU’s streamer, Peacock, with Group Black and NBCU sharing the revenue.

“We dispute the claims made by NBCUniversal and intend to respond through the appropriate legal process,” Group Black said in a statement. “Group Black remains focused on its mission and serving its partners.”

NBCU has said that more than 30 brands signed on to the partnership in its first year, which began in September 2023. Group Black had predicted that NBCU would be its largest source of revenue in 2024, according to a board document dated November of that year, which was submitted in a separate court case.

NBCU’s lawsuit alleged that Group Black failed to fulfill the terms of the contract in the months after it began in September 2023, despite selling more than $30 million worth of advertising.

The suit alleged that in 2024, Group Black agreed ​​to shift its revenue share to zero to pay down the shortfall. NBCU says in the lawsuit that it repeatedly demanded payment, and that Group Black cofounder Bonin Bough had acknowledged the company’s liability multiple times, emailing at one point that he took it “very seriously.”

The partnership ended in September 2025.

Group Black has faced internal and market challenges

Group Black was launched in 2021 after the George Floyd protests that led to a national reckoning and prompted big advertisers like Coca-Cola and Walmart to increase their spending on Black-owned media. In the years that followed, the company faced a mix of internal struggles, executive departures, and broader market challenges. It pivoted last summer to focus on a wider audience with the launch of a new venture, Portrait Media Group.

Group Black has faced other legal action alleging nonpayment. Two companies owned by Essence Ventures, part of a venture led by a second Group Black cofounder, Richelieu Dennis, sued Group Black in 2024, alleging it owed them about $20 million. Group Black said in a court filing that Essence loaned it money but otherwise denied the allegations in the suit. The suit is ongoing.

In another case, Audiomob, an ad agency that provided mobile app advertising inventory for Group Black to sell to its clients, demanded about $181,000 from Group Black for invoices it alleged the company had failed to pay. The suit was terminated in August after Audiomob sought dismissal, saying Group Black had made a “partial payment” of the money owed, per court filings.




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