In addition to my understanding that the mega media marriage won't be finalized until 8-10 months from now, doesn't it also have to pass FCC muster?

No one will stop the merger. That hasn't happened in a long time. Rated.

on the plus side, I'll watch less tv/movies. (no cable, sat, or dvd player)

Great business move for Comcast. Aside from the hallowed history of NBC, right now their main asset is their network of affiliates. They have few breakout hits, and cable channels have been splintering broadcast audiences for years. Few know that Comcast already has full or partial ownership of E!, Style Network, G4, Versus, The Golf Channel, AZN Television, FEARnet and several regional sports networks. With the purchase of NBC Universal, they add CNBC, MSNBC, Sci-Fi Channel, USA Network, Telemundo, and others - several of which they had to pay NBC-U a per-subscriber carriage fee.

I don't see Hulu changing to a paid subscriber business model; that model has failed to gain traction. People want internet content to be free! What I do see are more commercial minutes sold during each show. Networks usually retain 16 minutes per hour for commercials and promos. Webcasts of those same shows are significantly less. Research shows that viewers of webcasts will "tolerate" more than the 4-6 minutes of commercials presently shown. And you can bet Comcast will take full advantage of it!

Without a doubt Comcast, Time Warner and others will attempt to restrict access to unpaid media streamed over the Internet (bandwidth throttling, etc.). I see the NBC deal as an attempt to consolidate the media delivery service (cable lines) with the content, which of course means Comcast will want people to pay for said content.

That said, the interesting question for me is how many hoops people will jump through for television. Everyone I know who's tried to give up television finds that after a couple of weeks they don't miss it (many go back just cause, but it's grip isn't as strong as you'd think).

On top of this, you have big players like Microsoft (with the Xbox) and Google who aren't going to be pushed around, and whose interests are directly in conflict with the cable companies. Historically the tech companies haven't really lobbied congress effectively, but they'll start to. Or, hell, they may decide to create their own cable infrastructure, as our current one is largely outdated anyway.

In the long run, I don't see Comcast's bid paying off. TV simply doesn't have the value it used to. The fact is, even the cost of producing quality television is coming down -- you can create HD with a thousand dollar camera, and edit using cheap software. And, with Netflix, everyone has access to a vast archive of old TV they missed -- years worth of entertainment. As a society, we have a hard time letting go of old institutions (see Detroit). But I see TV shrinking dramatically, shifting more and more to a pay-to-watch model as advertising becomes futile, and a general move away for corporate and celebrity driven entertainment.

doubtful much will change which is too bad . in addition to waiting for Godot i am also waiting for the next Orson Welles, Lester (Prez) Young, e e cummings, Chuck Berry, Thelonious Monk, James Brooks, Jackson Pollack, Preston Sturges, Diego Rivera, Ferlinghetti, Lauryn Hill to mention a few. the whole "cultural enterprise" seems to me to be in almost the same spot AIG, Goldman Sachs and Leman Brothers were in last fall. virtually bankrupt! Yes some very good art still is produced but most of the product is the same tired stuff repackaged as new. just watch the trailers for upcoming movies. it's Déjà vu all over again! Thus whatever the outcome of the business end of the media providers the content is unlikely to change. does it really matter if you are served warmed over crap by GE or Comcast ?