At Comcast, No Fear of Web Video

A Q&A with Comcast CEO Brian Roberts.

Comcast's chokehold on its subscribers' video consumption is slipping away as new video providers muscle in on the business. But Roberts says he's still optimistic about the future of the country's largest cable operator, which isn't just a cable concern any more. Comcast's broadband business is humming. And last month the company closed its deal to acquire control of NBCUniversal from General Electric Co. for around $13.45 billion in cash and assets, inheriting cable stations, a broadcast network and a movie studio. Still, Roberts isn't giving up on video, jumping into a fight to define the way people watch and interact with TV by bulking up on software engineers and relying on a new head of cable, Neil Smit, to speed up the company's development processes.