NBC Universal JV

When cable operator Comcast bought 51 per cent of NBCUniversal, the television and film group, many in the media industry doubted the marriage would be a happy one. Yet there are already signs Comcast is applying the same strategic acumen to its new content assets that helped make it the largest cable operator in the US. It has invested in new original programming, with shows such as The Voice, in an effort to turn round the struggling broadcast network. It secured critical sports rights at a cost of billions of dollars a year. And it has shown a willingness to redouble investment in businesses with which it was unfamiliar, such as films and theme parks.

Business media giant Bloomberg LP is marking the upcoming one-year anniversary of the government's approval of Comcast Corp.'s acquisition of NBCUniversal to remind regulators that it thinks the cable giant is disrespecting the feds.

A year ago, when Comcast was pushing through its multibillion-dollar mega-merger with NBC (with an assist from future in-house lobbyist Meredith Attwell Baker), the company promised that it wouldn't interfere with the news operations. It didn't say anything about possibly abandoning them altogether.

Bloomberg is giving the Federal Communications Commission props for its proposals to revise program carriage rules to speed complaint resolution, adopt baseball-style arbitration for impasses, and institute standstills for renewals and monetary "true ups" for instances of noncarriage.

At an American Bar Association Antitrust Section webinar, lawyers involved on all sides of the Comcast/NBCU merger approval agree that access to online video was a key to the conditions imposed by the Federal Communications Commission on the deal, and in the settlement the Department of Justice struck with Comcast to ameliorate the department’s competition concerns.

Bloomberg President Daniel Doctoroff asked the Federal Communications Commission to swiftly resolve the company's program carriage complaint against Comcast.

Comcast, the nation's largest cable operator, has launched a new program aimed at reducing the digital divide, or the gap between high- and low-income communities in Internet accessibility and digital literacy.

Some of NBCUniversal's units have come under fire as advocates claim that the company is not honoring promises that helped pave the way for the merger's approval.

NBCUniversal has told the Federal Communications Commission that it received 32 applications for online news partners by the July 22 deadline, and that it expects to choose the winning RFPs by the end of August, so long as there are enough candidates that fit the bill.

As part of its merger with NBC Universal earlier this year, Comcast is required to provide 2.5 million low-income households with high-speed Internet access for less than $10 a month; computers for less than $150 a month; and digital literacy training.

When Comcast was angling to take over NBCU, the cable giant promised prominently to increase the profile of minorities at the company and launch eight independent cable networks, including four under African-American control. But a Who’s Who of African American media figures and civil rights leaders are frustrated that Comcast doesn't seem to be moving fast enough, if at all.

Last year, Comcast was lining up the Rev. Al Sharpton to lobby for its bid for NBCUniversal. This year, the cable news channel owned by NBCUniversal, MSNBC, is weighing whether to make him a daily television host. The possible transition for Sharpton — from political influencer to television talent — highlights the complex relationships that can arise when cable news channels employ activists who take sides instead of journalists who don't.

Fulfilling a commitment that is part of its acquisition agreement for NBC Universal, Comcast is expanding the carriage of eight Hispanic networks by a combined 14 million subscribers.

NBC Sports Group has struck a wide-ranging advertising deal with the National Hockey League that gives the Comcast-owned network oversight of the teams’ national sales.