Comcast could be in for a period of smaller deals

Comcast's stunning decision in late April to abandon its $45 billion deal for Time Warner Cable will likely lead to a lull for the acquisitive cable company, experts say. Wall Street analysts said that federal regulators seem hostile to any new big transaction that Comcast brings to Washington and that they expect the merger-hungry Philadelphia (PA) company to lay low for a year or so, perhaps until a new President is sworn in to office in early 2017. Comcast customers, meanwhile, could see a greater focus on service as well as more options in TV packages.

Comcast could be forced to lean on revenue growth from its current portfolio of TV, Internet, and entertainment assets, or expand globally, as other telecommunications companies, such as AT&T and DirecTV, frantically arrange mergers in the United States. "Comcast is likely sidelined for the time being for any material transactions. Even large content deals would be a tough sell," telecommunications analyst Craig Moffett said. "That could force them to look overseas," he said. "But for now, they don't have to do anything at all. They are performing very well, and they still have lots of organic growth opportunities to pursue."