ONLINE NEWS: THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME FOR EXCITE.COM

          At Home Corp. agreed to acquire Excite.com for $7.5B in
     stock.  The deal between the two companies is "the largest
     Internet merger so far" (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/20).  Cable stocks
     "soared to record levels" with news of the acquisition.  TCI
     soared 9% to $67.93, Time Warner jumped 5% to $65 while
     Comcast Corp. rose 7.4% to $67.81, "the highest points ever
     for all the stocks" (DAILY VARIETY, 1/20)....In Toronto,
     Josh Rubin reports that the NFL's Super Bowl Web site,
     Superbowl.com, which is "being underwritten" by Lycos, is
     "already hauling in some dollars."  But NFL Interactive VP
     Ann Kirschner acknowledges the "important balancing" of this
     kind of relationship is about "keeping traditional
     broadcasters happy" while "pushing the Internet envelope." 
     Lycos spokesperson Jim Hoenscheid feels there is "no danger"
     of "cannibalizing the existing revenue."  Hoenscheid: "The
     seven advertisers we've sold space to are SuperBowl.com
     advertisers, and that's it" (TORONTO STAR, 1/20).