In 2001 the merger between America Online (AOL) and Time Warner was accompanied by lofty hopes of synergies between new-world Internet prowess and old-world content delivery. But those hopes were short-lived. Now with a $30 billion deal to take control of NBC Universal (NBCU) Philadelphia-based Comcast is looking to integrate its cable pipes with many of the channels it distributes. But while much of the initial focus on the Comcast-NBCU marriage has revolved around cable programming assets the combined company’s digital properties may ultimately become more important for its long-term survival say experts at Wharton.