DOJ Takes On Comcast, NBC Universal

While the concert industry awaits word from the U.S. Department of Justice on the fate of the proposed Live Nation and Ticketmaster merger, the DOJ has announced it will take on another major antitrust review: Comcast’s proposed acquisition of NBC Universal.

The department joins the Federal Trade Commission in the review, settling a debate over which regulatory body would weigh in on the $30 billion deal announced last month, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Opponents of that merger are concerned about the concentration of media outlets in a single company, as the deal would give the nation’s top cable television operator control of one of the “Big Four” broadcast networks, 26 TV stations, several cable channels and a movie studio, according to the Times.

Recently, Comcast made news on the live side of the entertainment pages by reportedly offering to receive spinoffs of ticketing software and client contracts in the Live Nation/Ticketmaster merger in order to grease the skids in that DOJ review, according to Bloomberg.

Overseeing the Comcast/NBC Universal merger review will be Christine Varney, the DOJ’s antitrust division chief.