Comcast and NBC: The Evolution Will Be Televised

[Commentary] Comcast's acquisition of NBC Universal merely creates the largest single media company in the United States of America. Seaman still adheres to the adage that content is king. With no real appointment prime-time content coming from the flagship brand, this is the best time for Comcast to make this move. But all the distribution bottlenecks in the world won't make much difference if its Grade A material is made up of "30 Rock," "The Office, and the NFL in 4th Quarter. Granted, it's possible to turn things around on the strength of one top-line hit, but NBC hasn't come close to showing it's capable of that lately.

Why shouldn't we be afraid? Because every "Future of Media" conference in at least the past five years has proffered one invariable, inevitable truth: The Consumer Is In Control. Consumers know that they have control now. We're content creators; we build our own monopolies. YouTube and Facebook weren't created in a boardroom, they were created by their own users. Corporations glommed on after both entities achieved some critical mass. Consumers have the power. As our media choices evolve, we'll always find a work-around for things that don't work for us -- or we'll cut the cord altogether. Comcast/NBCU will do better for itself by not underestimating who's the boss here.