Comcast is expected to announce a plan Wednesday to spin off its cable networks into a separate company, two people familiar with the matter told NBC News. The split would cleave off some of NBCUniversal’s best-known brands, including MSNBC, E!, Syfy, Golf Channel, USA, CNBC and Oxygen, which now face the same cord-cutting challenges as many other major cable channels. The spinoff plan was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. Comcast had announced during its quarterly earnings call in October that it was considering spinning off its cable networks. President Mike Cavanagh said at the time that the company was exploring creating “a new, well-capitalized company owned by our shareholders and comprised of our strong portfolio of cable networks.” He added that NBCUniversal’s broadcast network NBC and the streaming service Peacock would remain with Comcast. Comcast owns NBCUniversal, which is the parent company of NBC News. A spokesperson for Comcast declined…
