• by Wayne Friedman , 3 hours ago

Spinning off NBCUniversal from Comcast Corp. could put the legacy media company in a dramatically different position to be a buyer -- including in areas such as gaming, according to analysts.

Richard Greenfield, media/technology analyst of LightShed Partners, is considering the possibility of NBCU linking up with some powerful gaming players like Roblox and Nintendo.

“Roblox would give NBCU an inside look at what UGC [user-generated] content is bubbling up to fuel content creation, as well as a far more digital-first narrative, similar to what Fox is trying to accomplish with the Roku acquisition,” he says.

Greenfield says the situation is not unlikely, and that it is also worth remembering that "Comcast did look seriously at EA [Electronic Arts] several years ago.”

In terms of Nintendo, Greenfield believes that deal would pose more of a challenge.

“We doubt Nintendo will ever sell. However, Illumination’s (part of Universal Studios), Chris Meledandri sits on the Nintendo Board and we have to imagine they would be far more interested in NBC Universal stock than Comcast.”

Other analysts note there is a strong business connection with Nintendo. NBCUniversal has a high-profile partnership with Nintendo for theme park attraction content.

This also includes a major deal for two major theatrical animated films, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” and “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” which have grossed more than $1 billion at the global box office, according to IMDb's Box Office Mojo.

Separately, a report in Reuters on Monday said NBCU is currently considering entering the video-gaming businesses.

Comcast Corp. executives did not respond to Television News Daily by press time.