Comcast-NBCU: Reaction Across The Web
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You can follow our full coverage of the Comcast-NBC Universal (NYSE: GE) deal here—but here is some additional analysis from around the web that has caught our attention:
» The deal is likely to ultimately pass regulatory muster since Comcast (NSDQ: CMCSA) and NBC Universal’s main businesses (content for NBC and distribution for Comcast) don’t overlap. That, however, doesn’t mean the companies won’t have to make concessions, Marketwatch reports.
» David Coursey at PCWorld makes the case that the deal should not get approval because “it will create yet another instance where a company that delivers digital content will have a profit motive to discriminate against other content providers.”
» Forrester’s James McQuivey provides a counterpoint to Rafat’s argument that the deal is not about digital, saying that “because the future of cable is entirely dependent on digital ... The future of all media of any sort is dependent on digital. Ergo, so is this deal.”
» At VideoNuze, Will Richmond takes stock of the winners, losers, and unknowns created by the deal. The big winner? Comcast, he says. The loser? The NBC broadcast network, which will contribute only a small percentage of the joint venture’s cash flow.
» Morningstar has put its “fair value estimate” of Comcast under review, saying that the $30 billion valuation being put on NBC Universal is too high, considering the market value of competitors.
» Fitch Ratings, on the other hand, is optimistic that the deal “increases Comcast’s size and scale, and creates a company with a more diversified revenue and asset base.” It reaffirms its credit ratings on Comcast, saying it will “only have a modest negative effect on Comcast’s balance sheet.”
» Todd Bishop at TechFlash notes that the deal once again ties Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) with Comcast, which it once owned a significant stake in. Both companies will now be co-owners of MSNBC.com—which could perhaps lead to additional partnerships between the firms, he speculates.
» And for a light-hearted take, here’s a nutritional information chart from Boing Boing summarizing the deal’s key points, along with some warnings.
Posted In: Media & Publishing, TV, Broadcast, Cable & Telecom, Companies, Comcast, NBC Universal
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