• The Wall Street Journal, Sunday, November 8, 2009 9:50 PM

General Electric and Comcast have agreed to value NBC Universal at around $30 billion, clearing a key obstacle to giving Comcast control of the television and movie company. The agreement could also reduce the cash Comcast would have to kick in when the deal closes.



The two companies are now ironing out the final details and an announcement could come as early as the end of this week, say insiders. While the deal is advanced, one wild card is still Vivendi, which owns 20% of NBCU. It is unclear whether Vivendi has agreed to the deal being considered by Comcast and GE. The company may offer more details when it reports third-quarter earnings Thursday.

Last Thursday, GE and Comcast met with debt-rating companies to seek their opinions on the approximately $9 billion in debt NBC Universal would take on as part of the combination. GE and Comcast are hoping for a signal this week on how the ratings firms would that debt.

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