As AT&T Corp. T.N mulls a sale of its cable television unit, the list of potential buyers is headed by other cable titans, with one exception. Software giant Microsoft Corp. is also said to be interested in participating, a move analysts say is aimed at thwarting any attempt by rival AOL Time Warner Inc. to expand its cable empire. The Redmond, Washington-based company, which makes the Windows computer operating system, almost certainly isn't interested in running an entire cable network, analysts said. But having invested $5 billion in AT&T Broadband two years ago, Microsoft could chip in on any deal that would keep the biggest U.S. cable network out of AOL's hands, they said.
|