**Comcast, the biggest US cable TV provider, is reported to be in talks to buy a majority stake in the television and film company NBC Universal.**NBC Universal owns the NBC television network, Universal Pictures, cable networks such as Bravo and CNBC as well as the Universal Studios theme parks.
It is 80%-owned by General Electric and 20%-owned by France’s Vivendi.
Several news agencies have said that Comcast is discussing buying 51% of the business, leaving GE with 49%.
It is reported that one of the scenarios being discussed would involve spinning NBC Universal off into a new company, which would also contain some of Comcast’s channels such as the “E” Channel and the Golf Channel.
‘Scared’
Comcast would pay between $6bn and $7bn to take a controlling stake in the new business, reports says.
But shareholders do not appear enthusiastic about the idea, which comes five years after Comcast’s unsuccessful attempt to buy Walt Disney for $54bn.
Comcast shares fell 7.2% in New York on Thursday while GE shares dropped 2.7%.
“People are scared, they don’t trust Brian [Comcast chief executive Brian Roberts], he’s seen as an empire builder,” said Glenn Greenberg of Chieftain Capital Management, which owns 29 million Comcast shares.