Immelt: NBC Universal Profit Expected to Rise by 5 Percent

NEW YORK, December 13: Jeffrey Immelt, the chairman and CEO
of General Electric, expects NBC Universal’s profit to rise by 5 percent next
year, according to a Bloomberg report.

In a meeting with shareholders, Immelt said that NBC
Universal remained a valuable asset for the conglomerate, particularly given
the boost in ratings at NBC with hits like Heroes. “I like what the team's done in content this year, this has been job
one,'' Immelt is quoted as saying. “Prime time has improved. No, the job's not
done yet.''

NBC Universal's third-quarter profit fell 10 percent to $542
million. The company recently initiated a restructure, called NBC 2.0, which
will see the elimination of 700 jobs by the end of 2008, as well as shift
towards less-expensive unscripted fare for the weeknight 8 p.m. slot.