Comcast and General Electric have agreed to make NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker the head of their proposed joint venture, but the structure of a new board is still being negotiated, sources familiar with the matter said.

General Electric and the cable giant Comcast have moved closer to a deal giving control of NBC Universal to Comcast, and a formal announcement could be made sometime next week, people briefed on the talks said Sunday.

The deal between General Electric and Comcast over the sale of a majority stake in NBC Universal is still on track, and it could be completed with the next two weeks, according to sources close to the deal.

NBC Universal could be floated on the stock market if France's Vivendi decides to sell its 20 percent stake in the group majority-owned by General Electric, Vivendi's chief executive said.

The top executives of General Electric and Comcast, which sources say are negotiating a multi-billion dollar sale of NBC Universal, said they were keeping their options open but offered few hints of whether a deal may soon emerge.

Of the world’s biggest media companies, the one that might seem in the best position to ride out the recession is Vivendi, whose headquarters in the shadow of the Arc de Triomphe oversees a sprawling empire of music, pay television, video game and mobile phone businesses.

General Electric and Vivendi are about $500 million apart in talks over what Vivendi should be paid for its NBC Universal stake, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.

Investors have bid up General Electric shares to almost triple their March lows but the largest U.S. conglomerate will have to deliver solid quarterly results for them to rise much further.

General Electric and Comcast are discussing a deal in which GE would spin off its NBC Universal unit and merge the  new company with the content assets of  Comcast, CNBC has learned.  The deal is far from certain.

Vivendi's CEO said no decision has been made on whether the company will seek to exit a partnership it's been in since it sold NBC its Universal Studios and accompanying assets in 2003.