What does it mean?
They’re saying it may be good for the shareholders, but what does the takeover of NBC by Comcast hold for those of us on the couch?
Start from the idea that NBC was thrown in as a visible but minor piece of the deal: Comcast was after the money-making cable properties, like Bravo and USA, not the old broadcast network, nostalgic home of Milton Berle, Johnny Carson, Bill Cosby, “Seinfeld,” and “SNL.”
That tells you how insignificant the storied old network is in business terms. A footnote.
To viewers who faithfully listened to the three-note chime of N-B-C for a half-century, who think of ABC, CBS and NBC as somehow real TV, the news is rather more unsettling.
It says the delivery system of cable is winning over the old pipeline of broadcast TV.
There goes the past: apple pie, the flag and NBC, the later now part of Comcast and subject to a possible name change.
For the immediate future, nothing will look different, NBC will remain mired in fourth place, but Tina Fey will have lots of new material for “30 Rock,” trading mocking old bosses at GE for new bosses at Comcast.
For the longer term, it means Comcast will own both pipeline and content, will be able to finance more original content and may even have the economic luxury of spending on original productions. Of course the deal faces regulatory hurdles, but eventually it could mean NBC interacts more fluidly with its cable cousins Bravo, USA, SyFy and CNBC. Don’t be surprised when more NBC content is considered “premium” someday in the future, that is, requiring a fee. Olympics on demand? You bet. And probably much more.
The company that got its start as a radio outfit, that showed off as The Peacock through the late 20th century, that saw its fortunes decline in recent seasons as it struggled to replace long-running hits and ended up with “Knight Rider” and “My Own Worst Enemy,” NBC is about to start its next chapter as a piece of the cable, online, on-demand puzzle.
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com
