| MUMBAI:
General Electric Co. has reached a pact with French telecommunication firm Vivendi
to buy out its 20 per cent stake in NBC Universal for $5.8 billion, clearing the
path for Comcast to take controlling stake in the TV and movie giant company.
GE,
which already owns 80 per cent of NBCU, will sell majority stake to the largest
US cable TV provider in a forward deal. Philadelphia-based Comcast has agreed
to shell out $30 billion. GE
chief executive officer Jeffrey Immelt had met Vivendi’s CEO Jean-Bernard
Levy in Paris last week to negotiate an exit for the French firm. Comcast
will buy into NBCU only after GE gets hold of Vivendi's stake. | 
