Microsoft Corp co founder, Paul Allen, has agreed to buy Dallas, Texas based Marcus Cable Co, the US national operator of cable television systems, for around $2bn according to the Wall Street Journal. The newspaper said the deal is due to be announced shortly. It reports that Allen eventually hopes to knit together enough smaller cable systems to let him build a large platform for bring new services, like internet access, over cable lines. Paul Allen left Microsoft in 1983 and the deal is not being made in conjunction with his former business partner, Bill Gates. Existing owners of Marcus Cable include Goldman Sachs & Co with close to 36%, Hicks, Muse Tate & Furst with 19% and Fremman Spoglie & Co with 16%.
