Comcast

As was mentioned briefly yesterday, and all Netflix longs had hoped it would be promptly dead and buried, Comcast has begun imposing a fee on Internet middleman Level 3 Communications Inc., one of the companies that Netflix Inc. has hired to deliver movies and TV shows to Web customers. Bloomberg adds: "Comcast, the largest U.S. cable TV company, has set up an Internet “toll booth,” charging Level 3 whenever customers request content, the Broomfield, Colorado-based company said in a statement yesterday." This could very well be the end to the Netflix business model which so far has had the benefit of near-free streaming content distribution. Of course, this move was inevitable as Netflix is rapidly stealing traditional cable subscribers from precisely the likes of Comcast, whose premium on demand services are unable to compete with the Netflix model (which is based more on marginal churn retention than anything, and as such has very little barriers to entry). Furthermore, traditional distributors of content are also starting to scratch their heads at the cost-benefit analysis of their Netflix relationship. As such, as more and more gates are imposed, and as the cash breakeven suddenly surges for Netflix, what will likely be impaired is not only the firm's cashflow (which as we described recently has been rapidly declining) but to its long-term growth prospects. In a word: nothing good.

Developing story: David Faber reports Comcast would end up owning 51% of NBC Universal. Ironically, this may finally make CNBC somewhat objective. More importantly, over/under on Dennis Kneale contract extension?

Comcast denies having an agreement to buy NBC Universal. Which means the proxy is coming out within the week (excluding the pseudo non-un-referenced Merrill loss and bonus arrangements)