Americast Company

Southern New England Telecom Joins Americast: The company said it has agreed to join other utilities and entertainment companies as a partner in the service being introduced into certain U.S. markets to provide traditional entertainment, video-on-demand, home shopping and other services. Los Angeles-based Americast said the partnership with New Haven, Conn.-based Southern New England expands its reach into the heavily populated northeast. Ameritech Corp., BellSouth Corp., GTE Corp.

Americast, the television venture formed by four regional telephone companies and Walt Disney Co., agreed Thursday to purchase $1 billion worth of digital set-top boxes from Zenith Electronics Corp., whose stock price jumped 50% on the news. The 3 million boxes will be put to use the middle of next year, when the first of Americast's partners, BellSouth Corp., starts to bundle phone and digital television services for sale to its customers in New Orleans in competition with cable operators.

Americast, the television venture formed by four regional telephone companies and Walt Disney Co., agreed Thursday to purchase $1 billion worth of digital set-top boxes from Zenith Electronics Corp., whose stock price jumped 50% on the news. The 3 million boxes will be put to use the middle of next year, when the first of Americast's partners, BellSouth Corp., starts to bundle phone and digital television services for sale to its customers in New Orleans in competition with cable operators.

Southern New England Telecom Joins Americast: The company said it has agreed to join other utilities and entertainment companies as a partner in the service being introduced into certain U.S. markets to provide traditional entertainment, video-on-demand, home shopping and other services. Los Angeles-based Americast said the partnership with New Haven, Conn.-based Southern New England expands its reach into the heavily populated northeast. Ameritech Corp., BellSouth Corp., GTE Corp.

With SBC Communications Inc. planning to acquire Pacific Telesis Group, look for the two companies to push for the merger of the ballyhooed Baby Bell video ventures that each is involved in as a partner. That's the consensus among senior people involved with the ventures--Tele-TV, with PacTel as an investor, and Americast, with SBC as a partner--as well as entertainment executives who have worked with the projects.

With SBC Communications Inc. planning to acquire Pacific Telesis Group, look for the two companies to push for the merger of the ballyhooed Baby Bell video ventures that each is involved in as a partner. That's the consensus among senior people involved with the ventures--Tele-TV, with PacTel as an investor, and Americast, with SBC as a partner--as well as entertainment executives who have worked with the projects.