NBCUniversal is in talks with several Internet video providers to license a full lineup of programming comparable to what it offers traditional pay TV providers, Comcast disclosed in its annual report to the Federal Communications Commission.
In the past year, "NBCUniversal received and is negotiating
several 'full freight' requests," Comcast said in its second annual
compliance report to the commission, filed Thursday.
Comcast declined to provide additional details on the
negotiations.
Intel, for one, has publicly discussed plans
to launch an over-the-top pay TV service in 2013 and says it has approached
major programming providers. Others rumored to be developing a "virtual MSO"
service include Sony.
The terms of the FCC's January 2011 approval of the Comcast
deal for NBCU include a provision requiring the companies to offer video
programming to "legitimate OVDs on the same terms and conditions that would be
available to an MVPD [multichannel video programming distributor]."
