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To: Thomas Mercer-Hursh who wrote (29031)	7/27/2000 4:10:38 PM
From: StockHawk	Respond to of 54805

Gemstar, 4 Cable Companies in Talks on TV Guide Pact Tulsa, Oklahoma, July 27 (Bloomberg) -- Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc. said it's in talks with four large cable- television companies to expand their use of Gemstar's interactive TV program guide. Gemstar shares rose as much as 10 percent. Gemstar is in ``intense business negotiations'' with Adelphia Communications Corp., Comcast Corp., Cox Communications Inc. and Charter Communications Inc. over the program guide, Gemstar Co- President Peter Boylan III said. They're talking about a long-term agreement to use Gemstar's guides, he said. Gemstar is negotiating with the cable companies even though they said yesterday that they'd work with a Gemstar rival, WorldGate Communications Inc., to develop interactive TV services, possibly including a guide. The guides let TV viewers use the Internet, get movies on demand and find the shows they want on digital cable, which has hundreds of channels. ``We hope to make a deal with each of them,'' Boylan said in an interview, referring to the four cable companies. Still, he added that ``it's hard to say when we'll have an agreement.'' Officials from Adelphia, Comcast, Cox and Charter, which already use Gemstar guides, couldn't immediately confirm that they were in talks to Gemstar. The cable companies' agreement to work with WorldGate isn't exclusive. The four companies have a total of about 26.1 million customers, more than a third of all U.S. cable subscribers. Gemstar shares today rose 4 3/4 to 67 5/8 in late trading after earlier touching 69 1/8. WorldGate fell 4, or 14 percent, to 24 3/8. Gemstar paid $14.9 billion earlier this month to acquire TV Guide Inc., which operates a TV program guide and publishes the namesake TV listings magazine. The combined company is called Gemstar-TV Guide International and has offices in New York; Pasadena, California; and Tulsa, Oklahoma. Cox shares rose 1/2 to 43 1/2, and Charter rose 1/8 to 14 1/4. Adelphia fell 3/4 to 37, and Comcast rose 7/16 to 34 1/4. Comcast is based in Philadelphia, Cox is in Atlanta and Adelphia is in Coudersport, Pennsylvania. WorldGate is based in the Philadelphia suburb of Trevose.