On Friday, an official announcement shared by Comcast Corp. confirmed that the company has named the Charter Communications Chief Executive, Neil Smith, as the head of its cable unit. Comcast is one of the largest and most prominent US cable TV operators.

Mr. Smith will be reporting directly to Comcast Chief Operating Officer Steve Burke, who will most probably be now focusing more on the merger of NBC Universal into Comcast.

Last month, Comcast had agreed upon a deal with General Electric Co. to purchase a major stake in NBA Universal, a deal which was valued at $30 Billion.

Mr. Smith's resignation from Charter will be effective starting February 28, and will fuel all speculations that are currently looming about as far as the future of the fourth-largest US cable firm goes. The company had recently managed to shake off bankruptcy in November of 2009.

"Mr. Smit is a very capable executive that brought a new level analytic rigor to the job (at Charter). That rigor translated into sharply improved operating and financial results", Citi analyst Jason Bazinet noted, while calling the move "a big plus for Comcast".