Thread: Comcast in Talks to Buy NBC-Universal from General Electric

Sharon Waxman

Comcast, the nation’s leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services, is in talks to buy the entertainment giant NBC-Universal from General Electric, according to knowledgeable individuals.

Source & More:
thewrap.com

Are there two worse companies?

The reports about there being a deal for Comcast to acquire NBC Universal have been categorically denied. That doesn't mean it won't happen, but rather that it hasn't, and so the reports have no credibility.

They are two fine companies, and both very much focused on their primary obligations, i.e., their fiduciary responsibilities to their owners. When companies do well for their owners, as these two companies typically do, some mass-market consumers paradoxically get frustrated that they aren't personally sharing in the success of those companies, despite not having being investors themselves. That doesn't make the companies bad companies. It makes them responsible and successful companies -- companies worth of envy. Both companies have shown steady revenue growth through the deep recession. That's an admirable accomplishment.

I think also that Comcast does seem to be a natural home for NBC Universal. They've been moving more and more into content distribution. They already own E!, Style Network, G4, Versus and several others.

Originally Posted by bicker

I think also that Comcast does seem to be a natural home for NBC Universal. They've been moving more and more into content distribution. They already own E!, Style Network, G4, Versus and several others.

Personally I do not believe that any cable or satellite company should be able to own any channel that they also carry. It makes it an unfair business practice to have this happen. Just look at what Comcast is doing with the regional sports channels that they own. Today they are holding those channels back from both satellite providers to keep an edge in their markets.

That's essentially a political issue, so reasonable folks will disagree about it. There are indeed advantages and disadvantages to vertical integration, in any marketplace, and it really comes down to how much you personally perceive a net benefit from one direction or the other.