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MURDOCH SCRAPS U.S. SATELLITE PLANS & TEAMS WITH PRIMESTAR

          Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. has "officially become a
     'passive' partner with the cable owners of Primestar
     Partners," according to Scott Hettrick in the HOLLYWOOD
     REPORTER.  The deal sees News Corp. "selling off its
     satellite assets" to TCI, Time Warner Cable and other cable
     owners of Primestar in exchange for $1.1B in securities. 
     The company will be called Primestar Inc.  As part of the
     deal, the new Primestar service will carry Fox News Channel
     and FX.  Hettrick: "Not only did ... the cable industry win
     their battle to keep Murdoch from becoming a competitor, but
     ... the Primestar companies have finally found a way to get
     the high-powered satellite license that the FCC repeatedly
     denied them and sold to News Corp."  Primestar Chair & CEO
     Jim Gray said the deal will allow Primestar to compete with
     cable, but Hettrick writes, "some wonder how vigorously
     Primestar will compete ... since the company is owned by"
     cable systems (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 6/12).  In Denver,
     Stephen Keating writes the deal "will likely face intense
     antitrust and consumer-group scrutiny" (DENVER POST, 6/12).
          FAMILY AFFAIR: In a separate deal, News Corp. agreed to
     pay $1.9B for Int'l Family Entertainment, the owner of the
     Family Channel, according to Sallie Hofmeister in the L.A.
     TIMES.  The deal "fills a hole" for News Corp. by giving it
     a much-sought-after channel for its children's programming,
     "while improving the prospects of wider distribution of its
     other networks, which include several regional sports
     networks, the Fox News Channel and FX" (L.A. TIMES, 6/12).

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