Liberty Media CEO: Would Have Liked To Look At GE-Comcast Deal

Liberty Media Corp. (LINTA, LMDIA, LCAPA) Chief Executive Greg Maffei said he would have liked to take a look at the deal between General Electric Co. (GE) and Comcast Corp. (CMCSK, CMCSA) for NBC Universal.

Liberty would have been interested in a deal, Maffei told analysts during an investor conference on Tuesday, but Comcast Chief Executive Brian Roberts had exclusive talks with GE and had embraced the terms of the deal.

Maffei said he sees a growing debate between content companies and distributors - a fight that could spill out to the public. Comcast hedges against that by taking a majority share in a major content company, he added. He expects Roberts to eventually change things around with NBC Universal, noting the luxury of an alternative distribution system through Comcast.

Liberty, which owns the "Starz" and "QVC" channels, will have its share of arguments with Comcast, Maffei said.

Still, he said he doesn't believe that the Comcast-GE deal will change the landscape or force any major consolidation. Issues such as family-controlled media companies make deals difficult to make, he added.

On M&A activity, Maffei said he "loves" online jewelry store Blue Nile Inc. (NILE), but believes the company is too expensive.

"It's well run, but we couldn't get around the numbers," he said.

On DirecTV Group Inc. (DTV), which recently merged with Liberty's entertainment assets, Maffei said the company has had a great run and that he is optimistic of the activity ahead.

-By Roger Cheng, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2153; roger.cheng@dowjones.com

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