Comcast Corporation
Acquisitions
4
Major Deals Covered
$89.8B
Disclosed Deal Value
Comcast's largest disclosed acquisition here is AT&T Broadband for $47B in 2002. This page covers 4 major deals from 2002 to 2018, each with its price where disclosed and the reason behind it.
| Company | Year | Price | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T Broadband | 2002 | $47.0B | Transformed Comcast into the largest U.S. cable operator and a national broadband platform. |
| NBCUniversal | 2011 | Undisclosed | Comcast bought a 51% stake from GE in January 2011, contributing its cable networks and about $6.5 billion in cash, then paid $16.7 billion for GE's remaining 49% in 2013. |
| DreamWorks Animation | 2016 | $3.8B | Added animation IP, film franchises, and family entertainment capability. |
| Sky | 2018 | $39.0B | Added a major European pay-TV, broadband, and media platform. |
2018
$39.0B
Added a major European pay-TV, broadband, and media platform.
Expanded Comcast internationally but added currency, sports-rights, and European pay-TV exposure.
Sky remains Comcast's European pay-TV and broadband business in the UK, Ireland and Italy. Comcast took a goodwill impairment on Sky in 2022, sold Sky Deutschland to RTL Group in 2026, and plans to place Sky inside the NBCUniversal spin-off.
2016
$3.8B
Added animation IP, film franchises, and family entertainment capability.
Strengthened Universal's animation and theme-park content library.
DreamWorks, home of Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon, now feeds Universal films, Peacock and theme-park attractions alongside Illumination.
2011
Comcast bought a 51% stake from GE in January 2011, contributing its cable networks and about $6.5 billion in cash, then paid $16.7 billion for GE's remaining 49% in 2013.
Diversified Comcast beyond cable while creating new media and entertainment exposure.
NBCUniversal made Comcast a vertically integrated media company. In 2026 Comcast spun off most of its cable networks as Versant and announced plans to spin off NBCUniversal and Sky, unwinding much of the content-plus-distribution model the deal created.
2002
$47.0B
Transformed Comcast into the largest U.S. cable operator and a national broadband platform.
Gave Comcast scale in major U.S. markets and strengthened content and network negotiations.
The roughly $47 billion deal, including assumed debt, made Comcast the largest U.S. cable operator and gave it the footprint that still produces most of its broadband revenue.
Comcast's growth plan centers on converged connectivity, pairing broadband with Xfinity Mobile, which reached 10.2 million lines in Q2 2026 with about 7% penetration of its footprint. It is also pushing Comcast Business, which grew connectivity revenue 3.7% to $2.7 billion in Q2 2026 at a 56.7% EBITDA margin. In media, it uses live sports (NFL, NBA, FIFA World Cup on Telemundo, Olympics) to grow Peacock, which had 48 million paid subscribers in mid-2026. In parks, it is building on Epic Universe in Orlando. Portfolio moves include the Versant spin-off, the Sky Deutschland sale to RTL Group and the planned NBCUniversal-Sky spin.
Comcast runs two businesses under one roof. Connectivity & Platforms sells Xfinity broadband, video and Xfinity Mobile to U.S. homes, Comcast Business connectivity to companies, and Sky broadband and TV in Europe. Xfinity Mobile is an MVNO that runs on Verizon's network, which lets Comcast bundle wireless with broadband without owning towers. Content & Experiences earns advertising and distribution fees from NBC, Telemundo and Peacock, licensing and box-office revenue from Universal, DreamWorks, Illumination and Focus Features, and ticket, hotel and merchandise revenue from Universal theme parks. Recurring broadband fees fund much of the capital spending on networks, sports rights and parks.
In November 2002, Comcast acquired AT&T Broadband for approximately $47.5 billion, absorbing 13.8 million cable subscribers to become the largest cable television and broadband provider in the United States, expanding Comcast's footprint into major metro markets including San Francisco, Chicago, and Seattle.
Comcast acquired NBCUniversal in two stages: in January 2011, Comcast purchased a 51% majority stake from General Electric for $13.8 billion ($6.5B cash plus contributing Comcast regional sports/cable networks). In March 2013, Comcast acquired the remaining 49% stake from GE for $16.7 billion, taking 100% full ownership.
In August 2016, NBCUniversal acquired DreamWorks Animation for $3.8 billion, bringing lucrative global entertainment franchises including Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon, Kung Fu Panda, and Trolls under Universal Pictures and Universal theme parks.
In September 2018, Comcast won a high-stakes, blind auction run by the UK Takeover Panel, defeating 21st Century Fox (backed by Disney) with a winning bid of £17.28 per share ($38.8 billion) to acquire Europe's premier direct-to-consumer media and pay-TV giant Sky Group plc.
In October 2021, Comcast Business acquired Masergy, a pioneer in software-defined networking (SD-WAN) and cloud cybersecurity, dramatically accelerating Comcast Business's ability to serve multi-location global enterprise and Fortune 500 corporations.
In February 2004, Comcast launched a hostile $54 billion unsolicited takeover bid for The Walt Disney Company. Although Disney's board rejected the bid and Comcast withdrew, the move demonstrated Comcast's ambition to become a global content leader, paving the way for the NBCUniversal deal.
Comcast acquired majority control of E! Entertainment Television in 1997 in partnership with Disney, later buying full control in 2006 for $1.2 billion, establishing Comcast's early cable programming foundation alongside Golf Channel and Versus (later NBC Sports Network).
Comcast focuses on disciplined capital allocation, seeking strategic assets with strong IP, global recurring cash flows, and network synergies, while strategically divesting or spinning off legacy linear cable channels to optimize shareholder value.
Yes, in an absolute masterstroke of vertical integration, Comcast orchestrated a massive acquisition of NBCUniversal from GE (completed in 2013). They later executed a highly aggressive $39 billion acquisition of British broadcaster Sky in 2018.
Compare corporate acquisition records, deal values, and strategic targets
Explore Comcast
Core profile pages, founders and related research hubs for this company.