Malone: Key To NBCU/Comcast Deal is What Government, Affiliates Want

Liberty Media Group Chairman John Malone says the NBCU/Comcast deal could give Comcast some content market power "without betting the farm." Malone said powering up in content made strategic sense for Comcast, but said an x-factor is how much the government would allow it to use its market power. The Obama Administration has signaled it wants to take a closer look at mergers than its predecessor. The general theory is that the NBCU/Comcast deal will not be blocked, which Malone said he ascribes to, but that there will be conditions. And not just from the government. He said the key political issue will be what the NBC affiliates want out of this deal: "What will the broadcast affiliates of NBC say they want [in order] to not fight this transaction."