Conditions attached to NBC deal
By Ryan Nakashima |
January 31, 2011, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE largest cable TV company in the United States, Comcast Corp, took control of NBC Universal after the government shackled its behavior in the coming years to protect online video services such as Netflix and Hulu.
The takeover gave the cable-hookup company 51 percent control of NBC Universal, which owns the nation's fourth-ranked TV network, NBC; the Universal Pictures movie studio and related theme parks; and a bevy of cable TV channels including Bravo, E! and USA.
The combination had raised fears that Comcast might abuse its control of NBC Universal to favor its most valuable customers: the 23 million who rely on it for cable TV and the 17 million who pay for Internet connections.
But the Justice Department and Federal Communications Commission imposed conditions that prevent Comcast from keeping NBC Universal's popular shows such as "The Office" and movies including "Despicable Me" to itself for the next few years.
Regulators forced Comcast to make the full suite of NBC Universal content available as a single package to online competitors on terms that are comparable to those it has reached with more established rivals such as Dish Network Corp and DirecTV.
The takeover gave the cable-hookup company 51 percent control of NBC Universal, which owns the nation's fourth-ranked TV network, NBC; the Universal Pictures movie studio and related theme parks; and a bevy of cable TV channels including Bravo, E! and USA.
The combination had raised fears that Comcast might abuse its control of NBC Universal to favor its most valuable customers: the 23 million who rely on it for cable TV and the 17 million who pay for Internet connections.
But the Justice Department and Federal Communications Commission imposed conditions that prevent Comcast from keeping NBC Universal's popular shows such as "The Office" and movies including "Despicable Me" to itself for the next few years.
Regulators forced Comcast to make the full suite of NBC Universal content available as a single package to online competitors on terms that are comparable to those it has reached with more established rivals such as Dish Network Corp and DirecTV.
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