The Wall Street Journal

NBC Universal hasn’t “done a good enough job” at the NBC Television Network, which has been mired in fourth place among broadcast networks since the 2004-05 season, Chief Executive Jeff Zucker said Monday.

Pointing out that the network had topped the Nielsen ratings for many years prior to that, Zucker said: “When you’re on top, you stay with things too long, you don’t invest enough [in new programming]…and we made all of those cyclical mistakes.”

Zucker also said that, under the control of Comcast Corp., NBC is positioned to do better, but said it would take time to show improved results. Comcast and General Electric Co. announced an agreement last week in which Comcast would acquire a 51% stake in NBC Universal.

Zucker, speaking at an investor conference, was also asked to speak about the future of Hulu, an advertising-supported online video service, amid speculation that Comcast might want to shut the site down.

Zucker said Hulu and its peers are still new, and that a better revenue model must be found to support their existence. More…