RENEE MONTAGNE, host: NPR's business news starts with NBC getting a new owner.</s>RENEE MONTAGNE, host: After months of negotiations, Comcast announced early this morning that it will buy the film and entertainment business NBC Universal from General Electric. The nation's biggest cable company is paying GE $6.5 billion in cash. The deal creates a new joint venture in which Comcast will have a controlling 51 percent stake. GE will own the rest.</s>RENEE MONTAGNE, host: The deal allows GE to focus on its core manufacturing businesses. It enables Comcast to leapfrog into a top tier of global media giants. It will own the venerable broadcast network NBC, a stable of cable channels, and Universal film studios. And that's a lot more content for Comcast to pipe through its cable channels and the Internet.
After months of negotiations, Comcast and General Electric announced a deal Thursday giving Comcast control of NBC Universal. GE wants to sell its TV and entertainment unit so it can concentrate on its core manufacturing businesses.