Philadelphia ? General Electric Co.’s agreement to buy out the rest of NBC Universal paves the way for it to sell control of the TV and movie company to Comcast Corp. in a deal that promises to reshape the entertainment industry.

GE will pay slightly less than the $6 billion that French media conglomerate Vivendi SA hoped to command for its 20 percent stake in NBC Universal, a person with knowledge of the talks told The Associated Press late Monday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the negotiations were private and the companies’ agreement has not yet been formalized.

The news lessens the uncertainty surrounding GE’s planned sale of a 51 percent stake in NBC Universal to Comcast, the largest U.S. cable provider. That deal, valued at $30 billion, would make Philadelphia-based Comcast one of the nation’s largest entertainment companies rivaling the heft of its former takeover target, The Walt Disney Co.