Comcast and NBC... Only Apple Can Stop It
Friday, November 6, 2009 at 8:40AM 
image: NewLaunches.comIt hasn't been nearly the news story it should be, but Comcast has been in talks to buy NBC for quite some time now. About a month ago, it looked like the whole thing fell through, but lately, rumblings of a purchase have re-surfaced.
This isn't like Disney owning ABC, or News Corp owning Fox. As we all know, Comcast is the tv and cable pipeline for a large portion of the country. Put yourself in the shoes of CBS, or any of the other networks. Imagine relying on your own competitor to beam your channel into millions of homes. Comcast could decide it's not worth it to carry Lifetime, or ABC Family (both parts of ABC) in favor of two new NBC channels. Your future as a broadcaster/network would lie squarely in the hands of the enemy.
Maybe that's why Apple has chosen this time to start shopping around monthly subscription options for television. You wouldn't expect the other networks to get on board, but in the face of the looming Comcast/NBC merger potential, it would make sense to find another distribution method.
While I said Apple could stop it, on their own, they wouldn't stop it as much as offer another option for consumers and other networks. They could lobby the FCC though, to keep the deal from going through. Would that be in Apple's best interest though? Would they be better served by being an alternative to the NBC/Comcast coalition? What about consumers?
Let us know what you think in the comments...
Reader Comments (5)
What a horror story: Comcast pushing NBC in to millions of homes and dropping better programming to promote their own network. I hope you quit waking up on the wrong side of your dreams pretty soon.
I hope I never start having those kinds of nightmares.
I'm already having nightmares about government-run health care. And that's enough.
Time Warner is also a leading provider of cable, and they own HBO, TBS, CNN, the WB and CW networks, and the Cartoon Network. I've never heard any complaints about them not carrying, for example, Fox News or MSNBC, which compete with CNN. Granted, NBC is one of the "major networks" but I still don't think you can jump to the conclusion that a merger would cause these issues. Ultimately, if their customers want a particular station they'll provide it if for no other reason than to keep up with offerings from the satellite services and FiOS.
I'm not convinced Satellite or even Apple TV can compete with Comcast. I think the only thing to control this is regulation.
Just can't see how Apple TV could replace a cable box. What about local news and live sports? Not to mention Apple would need to convince dozens of smaller channels to jump on board. Channels that Comcast could apply a lot of pressure to, forcing them away from Apple.
As for sports, it depends on what sports you're watching or want to watch. I'm a football fan, so I can watch games on our local CBS, NBC, and FOX affiliates. About the only thing I miss is Monday Night Football but being a west coast guy, I tend to miss it anyway because I'm at work.
Obviously, if you're a hockey fan, you're probably SOL unless you live in Canada. I know TBS was carrying some of the baseball playoffs and games.
If all else fails, you can always go to the sports bar...