Comcast Marks the End of Synergies with the Media

Comcast is dismantling its media empire, presenting this split as a simple quest for “flexibility” and denying any intention to pursue mergers and acquisitions. However, the group’s history and the frenzy of a sector in the midst of consolidation suggest instead a move to divest itself of less prominent assets.

After more than fifteen years of a tumultuous partnership with NBCUniversal, Comcast is making a major strategic shift! The telecom group plans to spin off its media businesses—NBCU and Sky—from its core cable operator business to form an independent entity. This decision, which undoes the gradual integration of the past few decades,…