Image Courtesy of Variety
Rumors are swirling around the industry regarding NBC U's future, and a likely scenario that is floating around is that Comcast is ready to pony up "$5 billion-$6 billion in cash plus its cable channels, which include E! Entertainment Television, Style, G4 and a handful of regional sports cablers." Comcast would own 51% of NBC U's shares while GE holds on to the remaining 49%.
All of this is assuming that Vivendi, which still owns 20% of NBC U, is ready to sell, a decision that will be made by November as their annual option is due. The French company, however, remains mum on the situation and claims that no word regarding their decision will be made until November. How cryptic. Even if they decide to say goodbye to NBC U, they can either sell it to Comcast or put it up for an IPO to the public.
Mergers and Acquisitions in the biz are obvously nothing new, but media M&A's seem to be all the rage lately (*coughDISNEY&MARVELcough*). Variety says that "NBC U's attractiveness to Comcast is obvious thanks to its strong portfolio of cable channels including USA Network, Syfy, Bravo, Oxygen, MSNBC, CNBC and the Weather Channel."
What does this mean for us? There are concerns that Comcast's preference and bias towards television will shortchange theatrical production by tightening its control over which movies are greenlit.
Before we get our panties all tied up in a bunch, there's one hurdle that Comcast will have to jump through: anti-trust laws. There may be concerns about the nation's largest cable operator controlling too many media assets in large markets.
It's clear that NBC U's future is still uncertain and is ultimately dependent on Vivendi's decision. November 15 will spell out the fates of all companies involved.
Should it happen, I personally can't wait to see how Tina Fey & Co. will write the change into 30 Rock!
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