Comcast, NBC deal could be ‘too big’

Now that GE has reclaimed 20% of NBC back from a French media company, it is expected to sell the whole package to Philadelphia-based Comcast. Combined with NBC, Comcast could become the country’s largest media conglomerate.

Now that GE has reclaimed 20% of NBC back from a French media company, it is expected to sell the whole package to Philadelphia-based Comcast.

Combined with NBC, Comcast could become the country’s largest media conglomerate.

On the surface it looks like a match made in conglomerate heaven. A giant cable distribution company desperate for content meets one of the biggest television programming companies in the world. Cue the wedding bells. But some analysts think Comcast hasn’t done a great job with the smaller media companies it already own.

Kevin Werbach of the Wharton School says a company that owns both the pipeline and the content could end up in some tight spots.

Werbach: When a user goes to Comcast – they are not interested in seeing one network in the stable of channels – they want the whole panoply. Comcast has to deal with other programmers – if it controls one of the largest ones it complicates those negotiations.

With NBC, Comcast will own the rights to broadcast everything from the Olympics and Oprah.