NBC today confirmed that Jimmy Fallon is taking over The Tonight Show from Jay Leno in 2014, ending months of rumors in a deal that was (according to Variety) brokered by Comcast exec and NBCUniversal president Steve Burke.

Leno will retire following a 22-year run, while Fallon's reign will begin, Variety hears, following the Sochi, Russia, Winter Olympics coverage on NBC and its sister TV networks.

A hint that a deal had been struck came earlier this week with the release of a video between the two late-night comics, which Leno and Fallon tweeted and NBC promoted online.Continue reading...

Comcast has given NBC Universal a “$16.7 billion vote of confidence” by acquiring General Electric’s 49 percent stake in the entertainment company in a deal that was finalized on Tuesday.

“We always thought it was a strong possibility that we’d some day own 100 percent,” said Brian Roberts, Comcast CEO in a telephone interview with The New York Times. “It’s been a very smooth couple of years, and the content continues to get more valuable with new revenue streams.” 

Roberts, touting the value of the deal to shareholders, added in an interview with CNBC, "There's a sense of enthusiasm and confidence on the future of NBC Universal," and told the Hollywood Reporter that he's bullish on turning around NBCU's flagship NBC channel.Continue reading...

Look, we know the economy is bad and times are tough and the future is unknown. And we know that a brand looks at itself, and down at the precious logo cradled in its arms, and wonders if it's doing everything it can, if it maybe isn't doing enough. After a while, we understand — the brand just feels like it has to do something. Anything.

But seriously, would brands all stop destroying the most recognizable elements of themselves. Please? Because it's starting to drive us nuts. Now we have to deal with what Comcast hath wrought with NBC Universal — sorry, NBCUniversal.Continue reading...

Comcast held a town hall meeting today at its Philadelphia HQ to welcome the thousands of NBC Universal employees worldwide it's now home to, thanks to last week's FCC/DOJ blessing — all except one.

Missing in action as America's cable giant announced its commitment to the s-word (synergy): NBC's iconic peacock.

Staffers received welcome packages emblazoned with a restyled NBCUniversal (one word) logo on a purple background.

While the colorful tail feathers have been plucked from NBCU's corporate identity, new NBCU head Steve Burke reassured everyone that it would be "a part of NBC and CNBC and MSNBC for years to come," according to Variety.

Farewell to this — let's face it, better — logo: