RUMOR MILL: With a spinoff from Comcast on the horizon, NBCUniversal is reassessing where its next leg of growth will come from. According to people familiar with the talks, gaming and other digital entertainment are on the list, though nothing is imminent. Those people said there are no active deal discussions and that any transaction would only happen after the separation is complete. However, the talks suggest NBCUniversal is looking beyond traditional film and television to more interactive, technology-heavy businesses.
Inside Comcast, executives are reassessing what to do with the cable and connectivity business. The company is looking at ways to use its network more directly in the boom in data centers and AI workloads. That would tilt Comcast's future more toward high-capacity data delivery and away from legacy pay-TV.
Comcast has declined to comment on potential deals. CEO Brian Roberts, speaking to Reuters, emphasized that the breakup is about focus rather than transaction-making. "The better way to move forward for the opportunities that we see for both of these businesses is to let them run independent of each other with focused dedicated great management teams and strong assets," he said. On timing, he added: "We just decided once you're in go mode, you know, we want to go."
