Comcast and NBC $30 Billion Buyout Getting Close?
For what seems like months now, the Comcast buyout of NBC to expand its enormous business empire has been bubbling along. But what kind of price can you put on a deal like this? According to Rueters reporting in the Wall Street Journal its $30 Billion agreed by both parties and making Comcast a true giant by acquiring NBC’s movie and television operations.
A deal is still to be completed, and reports suggest Comcast will control 51% of the new company, with NBC parent company General Electric owning the remaining 49%. However, both parties are reportedly talking about a deal that would have GE gradually selling its share of the joint venture to Comcast over a period of five to ten years, eventually leaving Comcast the sole owner.
The deal would include NBC’s broadcast television network as well as cable properties, which include channels like Bravo, Sci-Fi, and USA. NBC also owns major online sites like iVillage, and is a partner in the successful online catch up tv service Hulu.
The valuation of NBC Universal was seen by many as a hurdle in advancing the deal, according to sources. Comcast naturally was intent on maximizing the value of its own networks and minimizing the value of NBCU to limit the amount of up-front cash it would need to invest in the new firm. Latest reports say that Comcast would inject anywhere from $4 billion to $6 billion into the new entity.
However, both companies have reportedly agreed to base Comcast’s final cash payment on NBCU’s financial performance before any finalized deal closes. If its performance tanks, Comcast could end up paying less.
omcast has been attempting to compete with Hulu via it’s own Fancast offering. Another variable in the deal is French media company Vivendi, which owns a 20 percent stake in NBC. Vivendi has reportedly been looking to unload its NBC stake for a while, but has yet to weigh in on a potential deal with Comcast.
Any merger between NBC and Comcast would require regulatory approval, and that can take up to a year to complete. With an NBC acquisition, Comcast would be moving into the same area that TW cable worked for years to get away from, being both a media distributor and a media creator. Carriers are required to maintain a neutral outlook on content.
If Comcast were to get in the business of producing its own shows and movies, there would be a natural tendency to want to leverage its broadcast, cable, and Internet operations to promote and monetize those offerings, and that would come at the expense of competitors.
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I hate to say it but soon everything will be in one corporations hands. Whatever happened to diversity in content? The same people owning everything can’t be good for creativity.
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