Reports have emerged that Comcast may be thinking about purchasing General Electric's NBC Universal. A Wall Street Journal report revealed that people close to the matter said Comcast has been conducting talks with GE, which currently owns 80 percent of NBC Universal. Rumors have been circulating in recent months that GE is eager to offload NBC Universal, but as it often happens in the media industry, these talks could just end without any deal being consummated.
The rumor fire has been fueled by speculation over what French media and communications conglomerate Vivendi's plans to do with the 20 percent stake it owns in NBC Universal. Vivendi can either sell the piece it owns of NBC Universal either to GE or other investors. Yesterday, The Wrap.com published a report that said Comcast has put a $35 billion bid on the table for NBC Universal. However, Comcast immediately shot down speculation of any deal, saying in a statement, "while we do not normally comment on M&A rumors, the report that Comcast has a deal to purchase NBC Universal is inaccurate."
For more:
- Wall Street Journal has this article