Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts received $36.4 million in total compensation in 2019, a nearly 4% increase over the prior year, according to its annual proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Roberts’ annual base salary rose slightly to $3.3 million from $3.2 million in the prior year, and his stock and option awards remained steady at about $5.3 million each.
Roberts, along with chief financial officer Mike Cavanagh, Comcast Cable CEO Dave Watson, NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell and Sky plc chief Jeremy Darroch pledged their 2020 salaries to various charitable organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition, Comcast has devoted about $500 million to support its employees through continued pay and benefits where operations have been paused or impacted by COVID-19, and has committed significant resources to support its customers.
According to the proxy statement, Cavanagh received the biggest increase among top executives at the company, with total compensation of $26.8 million, up 23% from the $21.7 million he received in 2018. That gain was mainly fueled by a 71% rise in stock awards to $6.7 million from $3.9 million in the prior year.
NBCUniversal chairman Steve Burke, who stepped down as CEO in January and said he would retire in August, received $42.6 million in total compensation in 2019, up 7% from the $39.9 he received in the prior year.
Watson’s total compensation rose 14% to $16.9 million from $14.8 in the prior year, while senior executive vice president Dave Cohen got a 5% raise, with total compensation of $20 million in 2019, compared to $19.1 million in the prior year.
