Comcast Buys Out NBC: What Could Change?

After many rumors over the past year or so, it was announced today that Comcast has finalized a deal to buy out NBC Universal. The $13.75 billion deal raises many questions and worries about the future of television: it’s virtually unheard of to have a cable provider owning such a large amount of content (Comcast already owns Versus, The Golf Channel, and E! Entertainment and will be gaining NBC’s broadcast network, MSNBC, CNBC, Syfy, and Bravo) and it would seem the FCC is going to have to invent new rules because of this specific occurrence. Will Comcast charge other providers unreasonable amounts to carry their networks, networks which are absolutely necessary for any provider to remain viable? As someone who has Comcast internet and cable in my apartment, I have to say: they’re no strangers to wanting to make a buck. Not to discredit them of course, they’re just a good business. Unfortunately it is all too easy to see a dozen situations in the future where the state of cable providing has become monopolistic and expensive for the consumer.

That’s not what really bothers me though. With proper regulation, there’s a good chance that no consumer will notice a difference. What does bother me is the potential change in content we may see. There’s a good chance that Comcast, having so many properties and quite a business plan, is going to deaden creativity in shows like The Office, 30 Rock, etc. Comcast’s conservative bias is well known and easily demonstrable in their various attitudes towards networks as a provider: Comcast has often given preferential treatment to Fox networks and undermined distinctly non-right wing channels. While this political bias might not be a direct threat to creative shows it is easy to see how this kind of manipulative attitude, given the right power, could lead to the molding of ideas and censorship. The deal is just one more in a long succession of events in recent television history that take creative power out of the hands of the creators. Of course I’m sure the worst that could happen is they’ll replace all our favorite TV shows with various spinoffs of the Kardashians show or a show for each of Kate Goslin’s eight kids.

Oh no.

–Eric Eaton