Comcast CEO Roberts’ 2017 salary took minor haircut

The belts got tighter at the Roberts estate in Philadelphia last year.

According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts took home $32.5 million in 2017, down from $32.96 million in 2016.

That level of compensation didn’t even make Roberts the highest paid executive at the company he leads, with underling Steve Burke’s take-home pay once again exceeding Roberts' at $46.3 million in 2017, up from $46.07 million in 2016. 

About $15.3 million of Burke’s compensation came in the form of stock options. 

RELATED: Comcast’s Roberts ranks as only fourth-highest paid executive in 2017 at $33M

Comcast CFO Michael Cavanagh, meanwhile, saw his total compensation drop to $20.1 million from $25.7 million a year prior. The cable giant’s top regulatory executive, David L. Cohen, saw his compensation come in at $17.9 million, essentially flat with the $17.7 million reported for 2016.

In March, Charter disclosed that following a $98.5 million windfall in 2016 that was driven by deal points related to M&A, company Chairman and CEO Tom Rutledge saw his 2017 salary sliced to just $7.8 million. 

Charter President and COO John Bickham saw his 2017 salary drop from $47.4 million to $4.8 million, while CFO Christopher Winfrey ($2.1 million from $29.1 million) and Senior Executive VP David Ellen ($3.1 million from $22.1 million) also saw postmerger reductions.

The rich compensation packages were largely comprised of stock awards relating to Charter’s purchase of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks, both deals that closed in 2016.