This is really disappointing. Before Comcast, the owners of NBCUniversal rarely ever valued the parks and thus, never truly invested in it. When Comcast came through, that's when things really changed. While I think the parks will continue to be treated as a priority and asset, Comcast leadership truly viewed Universal Parks & Resorts as a differentiator in the market and poured capital dollars into the parks and resorts to help drive additional guests and thus, revenues. If it is going to be spun off and NBCUniversal is going to be its own standalone company as opposed to owned by someone else, this could continue as I believe NBCUniversal leadership has believed in these same goals. The issue becomes more about dollars that are available and where they invest. UPR could see a decrease in funding in that case.
Someone else acquires NBCUniversal? It comes down to their appetite to invest billions each year. While destination vacationing like Disney and Universal have proven strong, in the face of difficult consumer trends on the horizon, a decision could be made to pull back any spending and just reap the benefits (especially to pay off debts).
This could be a frustrating season incoming for UPR.