Comcast to buy NBC (1 Viewer)

[Patrick Sun]

http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/01/comcast-deal-to-buy-nbc-is-done-will-be-announced-thursday/

 

[Scott-S]

Having been a customer of Comca$t, this news scares me. The last thing this world needs is even more large, mega-companies controlling the media. Especially one that hates customers as much as Comca$t seems to.

 

[Darren_N]

A concern I have is if Comcast controls all the channels affiliated with NBC (Bravo, SyFy, Universal, etc.), would they be able to make it difficult for their cable and satellite competitors to carry these channels? Hopefully, there are regulations in place that would prevent this.

 

[Hanson]

I wonder how Comcast's position on file sharing will change. Right now, they've abrogated their responsibility towards any enforcement of copyright law other than sending out takedown notices only when prompted by the copyright holders. What will change now that they own the content?

 

[Walter C]

Originally Posted by Darren_N

A concern I have is if Comcast controls all the channels affiliated with NBC (Bravo, SyFy, Universal, etc.), would they be able to make it difficult for their cable and satellite competitors to carry these channels? Hopefully, there are regulations in place that would prevent this.

After what happened with Versus, I could see it happen with those cable networks. I hope I'm wrong on that, since I like all the original series on USA.

As I mentioned in the other NBC thread, I already hate them for blacking out 3 of the local Philly teams.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Originally Posted by Darren_N

A concern I have is if Comcast controls all the channels affiliated with NBC (Bravo, SyFy, Universal, etc.), would they be able to make it difficult for their cable and satellite competitors to carry these channels? Hopefully, there are regulations in place that would prevent this.

Regulators are going to be looking at this plan very carefully. I don't see the merger being approved without guarantees that the new NBC Universal won't engage in the sort of vertical integration that has caused other conglomerates to run afoul of antitrust laws.

Part of the reason "synergy" never took off the way many expected it to is because of the degree to which regulations prohibit synergizing. You might even see a requirement that forces Comcast to "pay" the same rates to NBC Uni as its competitors have to.

Originally Posted by Walter C

After what happened with Versus, I could see it happen with those cable networks. I hope I'm wrong on that, since I like all the original series on USA.

As I mentioned in the other NBC thread, I already hate them for blacking out 3 of the local Philly teams.

Baseball blackouts have nothing to do with your cable provider, and everything to do with MLB rules.

 

[Ockeghem]

This link has more to do with Scribd than Comcast, but some of it may be relevant to a few posts I've read on this thread. There are also some related articles (e.g., on file sharing) at the right of the main page (under 'Monday').

I have been reading some material over at Techdirt. I find the topic quite interesting, especially since I work closely with a Copyright Officer on campus. We deal with streaming issues frequently.

http://techdirt.com/blog.php?company=scribd&edition=techdirt

 

[Kevin Hewell]

"Baseball blackouts have nothing to do with your cable provider, and everything to do with MLB rules."

Bullshit! This isn't the NFL. MLB doesn't have blackout rules.

 

[nolesrule]

MLB has blackout rules. They are not attendance based like the NFL. They are based on broadcast rights conflicts and coverage areas vs. local markets. This mostly comes into play on the "superstations".

 

[Kennethlawson]

There are many bigger issues other then just one company owning/controlling most of the pipes into a house, cable/fiber, dsl, phone . Not only are they gatekeepers, but now they will own or at least control most of the content coming in those pipes. There are many other issues at stack here.

This opens the way for Comcast to more closesy watch what you do online. Example say you want to stream a NBC show on a non-Comcast santioned site, they could very easily slow the connection, making it unplayable, or even stop it completly. Go to a Comcast supported site and it works prefectly..

You be the judge...
This sets a president that is very scary.. Comcast/NBC ,,, Be Afraid,, Very Afraid..

 

[Walter C]

I guess it was inevitable, although you never really knew with NBC.

 

[SIZE= 14px]NBC Universal CEO to leave when Comcast takes over[/SIZE]

 

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Originally Posted by Walter C

 

Silver lining!

 

[joshEH]

Insert "Kabletown/Don Geiss" joke here.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Originally Posted by Walter C

 

 

Thank God! He must not have blackmail on Comcast the way he so obviously must on GE.