Press Release
Free Press: Comcast-NBC Mega-Merger Must Be Stopped
Contact: Timothy Karr, 201-533-8838
WASHINGTON — On Monday, GE reportedly reached an agreement to buy out Vivendi's share of NBC Universal. The deal would clear the way for Comcast to take a controlling stake in NBCU and open the door to a new era of media consolidation that reaches across content creation and distribution, giving one company enormous power over TV and Internet content.
Comcast is the largest cable company and residential Internet service provider in the United States. NBC Universal has a huge stake in television, film, cable and TV programming, and in Hulu, one of the largest online video services.
Free Press has launched a campaign at www.freepress.net/comcast to oppose the planned merger. The group is rallying public opposition and pressuring the Obama administration, the Justice Department and federal regulators to block any deal that would harm consumers.
Josh Silver, executive director of Free Press, made the following statement:
"Washington and Wall Street want the public to think this is a done deal. But it’s time for policymakers to stop putting the narrow interests of big corporations ahead of what’s best for the American people."
"The American public doesn’t want a media behemoth controlling the programming they watch and how they can access it. If Washington allows this deal to go through, Comcast will have unprecedented control of marquee content and three major distribution platforms: Internet, broadcast and cable. We’ve never seen this kind of consolidated control."
"Approval of such a merger would trigger a new wave of mega-mergers, as other giants like News Corp. and Disney bulk up to exert more control over new media. We don’t have to speculate about what this would mean for consumers. Decades of disastrous media consolidation have already given us higher prices, fewer independent and local voices, and the same cookie-cutter content wherever we go."
"The Obama administration must follow through on its pledge to fight media consolidation and stand up for media diversity. Regulators must uphold antitrust law, block any such deal, and put an end to the era of anything-goes government oversight that led to the financial meltdown and a crisis of confidence in our elected officials. Allowing the Comcast deal would mark yet another failure of government to protect the public interest."
"Free Press will be rallying people across the country who are tired of mega-mergers being rubber stamped. We will make sure that this time their voices can’t be ignored."
Comcast is the largest cable company and residential Internet service provider in the United States. NBC Universal has a huge stake in television, film, cable and TV programming, and in Hulu, one of the largest online video services.
Free Press has launched a campaign at www.freepress.net/comcast to oppose the planned merger. The group is rallying public opposition and pressuring the Obama administration, the Justice Department and federal regulators to block any deal that would harm consumers.
Josh Silver, executive director of Free Press, made the following statement:
"Washington and Wall Street want the public to think this is a done deal. But it’s time for policymakers to stop putting the narrow interests of big corporations ahead of what’s best for the American people."
"The American public doesn’t want a media behemoth controlling the programming they watch and how they can access it. If Washington allows this deal to go through, Comcast will have unprecedented control of marquee content and three major distribution platforms: Internet, broadcast and cable. We’ve never seen this kind of consolidated control."
"Approval of such a merger would trigger a new wave of mega-mergers, as other giants like News Corp. and Disney bulk up to exert more control over new media. We don’t have to speculate about what this would mean for consumers. Decades of disastrous media consolidation have already given us higher prices, fewer independent and local voices, and the same cookie-cutter content wherever we go."
"The Obama administration must follow through on its pledge to fight media consolidation and stand up for media diversity. Regulators must uphold antitrust law, block any such deal, and put an end to the era of anything-goes government oversight that led to the financial meltdown and a crisis of confidence in our elected officials. Allowing the Comcast deal would mark yet another failure of government to protect the public interest."
"Free Press will be rallying people across the country who are tired of mega-mergers being rubber stamped. We will make sure that this time their voices can’t be ignored."
