Nbcuniversal

So much for Netflix and other over-the-top Internet services quickly wiping out the cable-TV business. Comcast Corp. said Wednesday that it had virtually arrested the drain of cable-TV subscribers in the fourth quarter, and analysts speculated that the nation's largest cable company could soon add TV customers after five years of steep and damaging losses that threatened its legacy business. A quarterly loss of 17,000 cable-TV subscribers marked Comcast's best numbers since the first quarter of 2007, when it added 83,000 subscribers.

For thousands of low-income Philadelphia households not connected to the Internet, it will take more than a bargain-rate price of $10 a month for Internet service to get them across the so-called digital divide. The fewer than 500 takers for the service Comcast Corp. began offering in September as part of its merger with NBCUniversal makes it clear greater efforts are needed. So it's good to see a "Freedom Rings" partnership, which includes city agencies, the Free Library, various nonprofits, and Drexel University, form to expand training and computer access.

Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy is expected to announce on Tuesday that NBC Sports will consolidate its Philadelphia and New York operations into Stamford. Consolidating the Comcast Corp. regional sports headquarters and the Versus cable operations could cost Philadelphia more than 100 jobs, according to estimates. The operations for the local Comcast SportsNet, which airs the Phillies, Flyers and Sixers games, are expected to remain in the city. NBCUniversal officials declined to comment and Malloy has scheduled a news conference at 11 a.m., with announcement headlined: "Gov.

Barbara L. Hoffmann was appointed chief medical officer at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children , Philadelphia. She was associate medical director for Capital Blue Cross as well as medical director for the Office of Medical Assistance for Pennsylvania. Blue Sky Power , Camden, said Liza L. Wolf was hired as chief legal officer and executive vice president. Wolf had been a member of the Business Law Group at the Cozen O'Connor law firm, with a focus in public and project finance, specializing in energy transactions.

Comcast Corp. announced Tuesday that it would start carrying four new minority-owned networks - in partial fulfillment of a deal with regulators and minority groups that paved the way for the Philadelphia company to take over NBCUniversal last year. The channels, backed by NBA Hall of Famer Earvin "Magic" Johnson, superstar entertainer Sean "Diddy" Combs, and others, are scheduled to launch broadly on Comcast Cable systems between April and January 2014, Comcast said. "I salute them for keeping their word," said the Rev. Al Sharpton, one of three African American leaders to sign an agreement on a wide range of minority issues with Comcast in December 2010.

London, ho! Two Philadelphia-based companies will be seeking gold-medal performances at the Summer Olympics: food vendor Aramark and media giant Comcast Corp., whose NBC Sports division holds the U.S. broadcast rights. Officials from both companies spoke last week about the Games, scheduled for July 27 through Aug. 12, at a meeting hosted by the British American Business Council of Greater Philadelphia at the Cira Centre. It kicked off the fanfare for the global event, which Nick McInnes, a deputy consul-general with the British Consulate, said could generate $35 billion in economic activity.

In the Region PUC rejects 'slamming' settlement The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission has rejected a proposed settlement that would have required MXEnergy, an electricity supplier, to pay an $11,000 penalty for 22 cases of "slamming" - switching customers to MXEnergy's service without their authorization. "We simply do not believe that a $500 per-customer penalty, even when combined with the corrective actions, is enough to remedy this situation or to deter potential future violations," PUC Chairman Robert F. Powelson and Commissioner Wayne E. Gardner said in a motion rejecting the deal.

The Peacock is looking like a bedraggled starling at the start of its first fall TV season in Comcast's nest. Three weeks in, overall viewership, according to the Nielsen Co., is up at CBS and Fox, and down less than 1 percent at ABC, vs. year-ago numbers. But at NBC, it's down 6 percent. More ominous: Despite a new entertainment boss and a large bump in spending on program development, NBC has seen the average viewership of its five new series drop a stunning 28 percent from levels achieved by last year's five new series in the first three weeks of the season.