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NEWS ABOUT: NBC Universal

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Fox Bringing Down the House

This is last season for popular TV series starring Hugh Laurie

(Newser) - Cynical, manipulative, pill-popping genius doctor Gregory House is pulling down his shingle. The popular, critically acclaimed TV series House won't be back next season. “The producers have always imagined House as an enigmatic creature; he should never be the last one to leave the party," said a... More »

Coming Soon: Real Dunder Mifflin Paper

The Office firm to put 'quabity first' in Staples deal

(Newser) - Fans of the Office will soon be able to buy paper made by their favorite company—though instead of purchasing it from Dwight Schrute, they’ll have to get their reams through Staples. The office-supply giant’s Quill.com has reached a licensing deal with NBCUniversal to sell Dunder Mifflin... More »

Netflix Was Ready for Your Hate

Call centers added employees to prepare for price hike backlash

(Newser) - Well, now we know what a portion of those new, higher Netflix fees could be used for: to pay call center reps to deal with angry customers . Customer service reps have been telling callers that the company not only told them to be ready for a backlash, it hired extra... More »

NBC Wins Olympics Until 2020

Broadcaster pays $4.38B for rights to 4 Olympics

(Newser) - NBC Universal has outbid rivals to win the US rights to broadcast the four Olympics after London 2012. The Comcast company's $4.38 billion bid included $2 billion to broadcast the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, and the 2016 summer Games in Rio de Janiero. Rival bidder Fox... More »

Trump Run Could Kill Apprentice

NBC won't renew if he decides to run

(Newser) - If Donald Trump decides to run for president, NBC plans to tell him he’s fired. The network hasn’t renewed The Apprentice yet, or done any serious planning about the next season, because it’s holding its breath to see if Trump will formally jump into the 2012 fray,... More »

NBC Loses Peacock—Sort Of

And the new internal logo isn't receiving rave reviews

(Newser) - Comcast takes over NBC Universal today, and some feathers are already being ruffled—the peacock has been removed from the corporate logo. Though the colorful, 55-year-old mascot will still be used on television, internally, it's been swapped out in favor of the the name NBCUniversal on a purple background, reports... More »

FCC Honcho: Comcast Can Only Buy NBC if It Shares

Commission aims to block media stranglehold

(Newser) - Comcast should only be able to go through with its plans to buy NBC Universal if it's willing to share the media giant’s content with its competitors, according to Julius Genachowski. The FCC chairman gave his conditional approval for the merger last week, proposing a set of rules that... More »

Content From Amazon, NBC to Power Google TV

Firm unveil new deals to populate its TV service

(Newser) - Google now has a series of deals to provide content for its new Google TV service, the Wall Street Journal reports, including with NBC Universal and Amazon. The latter will lend its Amazon Video on Demand library to Google TV users, giving them paid access to some 75,000 movies... More »

Hulu to Add $9.95 Subscription Plan

But some content will still be free

(Newser) - Hulu is done giving out all its content for free. The web's second most popular video site plans to implement a $9.95-per-month subscription service as soon as May 24, sources tell the LA Times . But don't panic, cheapskates; the most recent five episodes of most shows will still be... More »

As the End Nears, O'Brien's Ratings Soar

Nation of jobless tunes in to watch him jab at NBC execs

(AP) - Conan O'Brien is about to be out of a job, and his bitter cracks on NBC execs are doing what his show did not—viewership has soared. O'Brien's ratings have been rising through the week, and Tonight ratings Friday were 50% higher than they've been this season. O'Brien beat out... More »

NBC Exec Calls Conan 'Chicken-Hearted and Gutless'

Dick Ebersol clearly Team Jay Leno in 'Tonight Show' flap

(Newser) - Though his fellow comedians are lashing out at Jay Leno, the comedian at least has the NBC brass on his side. Conan O’Brien is “chicken-hearted and gutless” for blaming his “astounding failure” on Leno, says Dick Ebersol, chairman of NBC Universal Sports. The bottom line? O’Brien... More »

NBC Confirms Leno's Move to 11:35pm

Primetime experiment will end Feb. 12 with start of Winter Olympics

(AP) - NBC confirmed that the Jay Leno primetime television experiment is over, saying today that Leno's nightly primetime show will end with the beginning of the Winter Olympics on Feb. 12. NBC exec Jeff Gaspin says NBC wants Leno to do an 11:35pm show, a return to his old time... More »

Zucker's On His Way to Killing NBC

Leno switch is the just latest in a string of dismal decisions

(Newser) - He used to be network television's wunderkind, but now Jeff Zucker might go down as the man whose misguided moves dealt a death blow to NBC. The flip-flop over Jay Leno—"shaping up to be one of the biggest debacles in television history"—is just the latest of... More »

Comcast Plans to Announce NBC Deal Tomorrow

Joint venture would have $51B in assets

(Newser) - Comcast is set to announce its acquisition of NBC Universal tomorrow. The deal with GE will make Comcast an entertainment behemoth, with a big stake in the cable, TV, and movie industries. Combined assets of the venture would have been $51 billion last year, the Wall Street Journal reports. Anti-trust... More »

NBC Turns Down PETA Ad

Commercial, intended for Macy's parade, has no disturbing images

(Newser) - This is the ad PETA wanted to run during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, but NBC shot them down, saying it “does not meet NBC Universal Standards.” As you can see in the video, there’s nary an offensive image, just a little girl describing the horrors... More »

To Save NBC, Rethink Leno Strategy

CEO Jeff Zucker to blame for slump

(Newser) - Cable giant Comcast wants to buy a controlling interest in NBC Universal. Sure, the company's movie business and cable channels are appealing, but what about the broadcast network? NBC is floundering, and CEO Jeff Zucker is to blame, Mark Harris writes in New York. One big problem is The Jay ... More »

Bon Jovi Is NBC's First 'Artist in Residence'

Jon and the boys will promote new album exclusively on network-owned air

(Newser) - In a move that will keep him exclusively on NBC-owned airwaves as he promotes his band’s upcoming album, Jon Bon Jovi has signed on as the network’s first “artist in residence.” His first appearance was on this morning’s Today show; he has spots scheduled with... More »

Why Rupert Murdoch Won't Buy NBC Stake

The News Corp. mogul is interested, but the deal will likely not go through

(Newser) - Sources tell CNBC Rupert Murdoch wants to add a stake in NBC Universal to his ever-expanding media empire—which could lead to some awkward moments between Bill O’Reilly and Keith Olbermann at the company Christmas party—but it probably won’t happen, writes John Cook on Gawker. Considering the... More »

Comcast Weighs Charging Viewers for Hulu

Cable giant no fan of free site, and could soon own NBC's part of it

(Newser) - Comcast is no fan of Hulu's business model, and the cable giant could soon own a stake in the site—which means trouble for fans of using it to watch TV shows free. Comcast is in talks with NBC to pool their entertainment offerings in a joint venture that would... More »

Comcast Near $35B Deal for NBC Universal

Cable giant has been in talks with owner of network for weeks

(Newser) - Comcast is near a $35 billion deal to acquire NBC Universal, which encompasses the network, a movie studio, cable channels and more, sources tell the Wrap. Bankers from the cable giant and General Electric, NBCU’s parent company, met Tuesday after Comcast decided to think bigger than a pursuit of... More »

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