Comcast Corp. is in preliminary talks to take a 20 percent to 50 percent stake in NBC Universal and increase its ownership of the TV shows and movies it distributes to its cable subscribers.
General Electric Co., which owns 80 percent of NBC Universal, has been in talks with multiple parties, including Comcast, to unload part of the entertainment unit, according to people familiar with the negotiations. These people described the talks to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, confirming other reports, because the talks are still early.
The entertainment news site The Wrap also reported the talks and said a tentative deal had been made, but Comcast denied that a deal had been struck, MarketWatch said.
One key element is whether French conglomerate Vivendi SA decides to sell its 20 percent stake in NBC Universal. It has an annual window from Nov. 15 to Dec. 10 to decide what to do with the holdings, and its CEO has called the stake “non-core.”
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