Meyer Gets 5 More Years at Universal

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A week after a messy shake-up of the management of its television unit, NBC Universal has signed Ron Meyer, the president and chief operating officer of Universal Studios, to a new five-year contract, the New York Times reports. He will oversee movie production, theme parks and studio operations “through at least 2012,” the company said.


The self-effacing Mr. Meyer, 62, one of Hollywood’s best-liked and longest-serving studio bosses, has survived three changes in ownership since taking the job in 1995, after 20 years as a founder and leader of the Creative Artists Agency. He had three years remaining on his last five-year deal.


The new contract was announced by Jeff Zucker, the chief executive of NBC Universal, who last week replaced Kevin Reilly at the top of NBC’s entertainment operations with Ben Silverman and Marc Graboff.


Mr. Meyer led the company’s successful pitch to Warner Brothers and the author J. K. Rowling to license a theme park based on the “Harry Potter” juggernaut. Last week the two studios jointly announced a $230 million-plus deal for a 20-acre attraction at Universal’s Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Fla. It is expected to open in late 2009 and provide a significant lift to sagging attendance there, where Universal has long trailed Walt Disney World.



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