International Family Entertainment Inc

Pat Robertson Buys Ice Capades: The entertainment company headed by the religious broadcaster said it has agreed to purchase Dorothy Hamill's touring skating show, which was seen by about 2 million people last year. International Family Entertainment Inc., which owns the Family Channel cable network, declined to disclose how much it paid for the show and related assets controlled by the Olympic gold medalist and her husband.

Cartoons and religion have been staples of Sunday morning television for years. But analysts and industry executives are skeptical about their pairing on the Family Channel envisioned by Fox Kids Worldwide, which this week announced its $1.9-billion purchase of the cable network's parent, International Family Entertainment. Fox Kids, a 50-50 partnership between News Corp.

Robertson Completes MTM Acquisition: Television evangelist Pat Robertson's International Family Entertainment Inc. said it has formally acquired London-based TVS Entertainment, which owns the MTM television library. The deal is worth about $86 million.

Rupert Murdoch, the fastest-moving mogul in the entertainment business, sealed two billion-dollar deals Wednesday that changed the landscape of the satellite television business and provided a shot in the arm to the cable industry. In a busy day of deal making, Murdoch clarified how his News Corp. media conglomerate will enter the U.S. satellite TV market and bought a lucrative network that plugs a hole in his cable empire. News Corp. agreed to fold its U.S.

Ice Capades Deal Completed: Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson expanded his entertainment empire with the takeover of the traveling skating show. Robertson's International Family Entertainment Inc. completed its acquisition of Dorothy Hamill International Inc., owner of the Ice Capades since 1993. The buyout proposal was announced in June. Terms of the final agreement were not disclosed. Virginia Beach, Va.

International Family Entertainment Inc. shares rose again amid speculation that the owner of the Family Channel will agree to be acquired this week by either Walt Disney Co. or News Corp. for up to $1.8 billion. International Family shares closed at $31.875, up $4 on the New York Stock Exchange. The shares have risen 59% since April 25. Disney and News Corp. are each offering between $32 and $35 a share for International Family, according to three people close to the bidding.

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. and Walt Disney Co. will make final bids for International Family Entertainment Inc. early this week, but already the price has risen to an eye-popping $1.8 billion, sources said. News Corp. is thought to have an edge in the bidding, but sources said Friday that Disney remained a strong contender. An unexpected bidder, Viacom Inc., which quietly took a look at IFE in recent weeks, is believed to have withdrawn.

Evangelist Pat Robertson, whose International Family Entertainment Inc. is fresh from its acquisition of MTM Entertainment Inc. in Studio City, has agreed to acquire control of another local company. American Film Technologies Inc., a North Hollywood film colorizing and animation company, said a group of private investors led by Robertson tentatively agreed to pay $4.7 million for American Film common stock and warrants. The stock purchase would give the Robertson group a 51.

In January, when MTM Entertainment Inc.'s parent was sold, the tongues were wagging in the television business. The kicker was the identity of the buyer: televangelist Pat Robertson and his International Family Entertainment Inc., the Virginia Beach, Va., owner of cable's Family Channel. Robertson is IFE's chairman, and his family controls 22% of the company's stock. The $86-million acquisition of Studio City-based MTM made for unlikely bedfellows.

International Family Entertainment Inc. shares rose again amid speculation that the owner of the Family Channel will agree to be acquired this week by either Walt Disney Co. or News Corp. for up to $1.8 billion. International Family shares closed at $31.875, up $4 on the New York Stock Exchange. The shares have risen 59% since April 25. Disney and News Corp. are each offering between $32 and $35 a share for International Family, according to three people close to the bidding.

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. and Walt Disney Co. will make final bids for International Family Entertainment Inc. early this week, but already the price has risen to an eye-popping $1.8 billion, sources said. News Corp. is thought to have an edge in the bidding, but sources said Friday that Disney remained a strong contender. An unexpected bidder, Viacom Inc., which quietly took a look at IFE in recent weeks, is believed to have withdrawn.

News Corp. and Liberty Media Corp. are negotiating to buy International Family Entertainment in a deal that would value the owner of the Family Channel cable network at about $1 billion, according to Wall Street sources. Under the proposal, the partners would take the publicly traded company private and reduce to 20% the stake held by the Robertson family, which now exerts control. Liberty would double its 20% stake; it and News Corp. would each own 40% of the private company.

Can one of the most popular franchises in television history regain its former glory? MTM Entertainment is about to find out. Once a successful producer of such beloved programs as "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Hill Steet Blues" and "Lou Grant," MTM was in a sorry state when the 1990s rolled around. The Studio City firm was on the brink of bankruptcy, and its production machine had foundered.

Ice Capades Deal Completed: Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson expanded his entertainment empire with the takeover of the traveling skating show. Robertson's International Family Entertainment Inc. completed its acquisition of Dorothy Hamill International Inc., owner of the Ice Capades since 1993. The buyout proposal was announced in June. Terms of the final agreement were not disclosed. Virginia Beach, Va.

Pat Robertson Buys Ice Capades: The entertainment company headed by the religious broadcaster said it has agreed to purchase Dorothy Hamill's touring skating show, which was seen by about 2 million people last year. International Family Entertainment Inc., which owns the Family Channel cable network, declined to disclose how much it paid for the show and related assets controlled by the Olympic gold medalist and her husband.

The bidding over Nostalgia Network is poised to go even higher, with media mogul Pat Robertson signaling he is prepared to increase his offer for the money-losing cable network. Robertson's Virginia Beach, Va.-based International Family Entertainment is now in a three-way takeover fight for the cable network that is available in only 14 million homes.