Metabyte has a deal with Scientific-Atlanta to put its software in new boxes that AOL Time Warner's cable unit is already installing in selected U.S. cities.

FORBES: Delayed payback

Other parents are more generous: In October Tyco said it would pay a 52% premium for the 11% stake in its undersea cable unit, Tycom, that had been sold to the public.

FORBES: A Different Spin

Of course, the results were driven largely by the unit's cable channels--USA Network, Bravo, Sci Fi, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen and The Weather Channel--and the Summer Olympics, which aired across its network stable.

FORBES: Network Television