At last Comcast has finalized its 51 percent stake in NBC Universal. And whenever a deal culminates in the creation of an estimated $43.5 billion media superpower, there's bound to be plenty of conjecture as to what it means for the future of TV, online, and the irrefutable link between the two.
Currently, there seem to be more questions than answers, particularly with regard to the deal's implications for the future of long-form online programming. According to The New York Times, one critical issue at play in the deal revolves around how people watch TV on demand, and whether they should pay for the privilege.
Years ago, broadcasters including NBC began racing to put their popular shows online, under the assumption that online advertising dollars would follow. The audiences came -- the proportional revenue did not. In light of this imbalance, many stakeholders are now advocating for a pay model for TV streaming. Likewise, Hulu -- which adds Comcast to its list of co-owners as part of the NBCU deal -- is reportedly considering adding a subscription arm next year.
Details aside, Comcast COO Steve Burke says the deal should have advertisers smiling, Ad Age reports. "We have more channels, more content that have all these great niche segments that are so well-covered by this joint venture that could be great for advertisers," Burke said. "Something like 23 percent of the revenue of the combined company comes from ad sales, so we're heavily incented to make sure that offering to advertisers is attractive and takes advantage of the technology for us in the future."
