Comcast deal to take control of NBC may face hurdles

Comcast deal to take control of NBC may face hurdles

MUMBAI: Comcast Corp.’s $28 billion deal to take control of NBC Universal may face roadblocks given the spat between News Corp. and Cablevision System Corp. that blacked out Fox programming of more than 3 million subscribers.
 
While the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is reviewing the acquisition of a major stake of General Electric Co. that Comcast is interested, immense regulatory scrutiny may precede as a result of the dispute, say experts.

News Corp.’s Fox had blocked its programming that included two World Series games for Cablevision for two weeks until the latter agreed to pay what it called an “unfair price” on 30 October.  
 
Comcast, unlike News Corp., may have the added incentive of blocking channels from rivals such as Dish Network Corp. to help lure customers to its cable service.