James Delahunty
26 Nov 2009 13:01
According to AFP sources, Comcast might seal a deal to buy a controlling stake in NBC Universal from General Electric next week. General Electric owns 80 percent of NBC Universal, with Vivendi owning the remaining 20 percent stake. In order for any deal to go ahead between GE and Comcast, GE will have to get a green light from Vivendi. The AFP source said that GE chief executive Jeffrey Immelt flew to Paris to discuss the proposed deal with Vivendi.
The Wall Street Journal has reported that the deal would value NBC Universal at about $30 billion. NBC Universal holdings include the NBC network, one of the four major U.S. television networks (along with ABC, Fox and CBS), Universal Pictures, finance channel CNBC and news network MSNBC.
"It is possible that Mr. Immelt's conversations with Vivendi chief executive Jean-Bernard Levy will lead to a general agreement on a sale Wednesday or in coming days, although there would likely still be some details to hammer out," the Journal reported.