Tci Pulls Money From Microsoft Deal

Tele-Communications Inc. decided this week to pull its planned $125 million investment in the Microsoft Network because of a divergence in the Internet strategies of the two industry giants, Dow Jones News Service reported.

TCI, the nation’s largest cable system operator, offered $125 million of its stock in Microsoft’s venture in exchange for a 20 percent stake. Since then, however, TCI has been investing heavily in At Home Corp., a high-speed Internet service transmitting data and video through cable lines.

Microsoft Network, meanwhile, has grown into one of the largest on-line services with an estimated 1.6 million subscribers.