ENTERTAINMENT

TCI, Sumitomo in Deal: Tele-Communications Inc. has agreed to buy an 18% stake in Sumitomo Corp.’s Cable Soft Network, Japan’s leading cable TV movie channel. Terms were not disclosed, but Adam Singer, international vice president for TCI, said the investment is a “first step” to other possible joint ventures between the Denver-based cable giant and the Japanese conglomerate. Sumitomo is the lead company in Japan’s fledgling cable TV industry. It has investments in two other Japanese cable TV channels and cable systems serving 700,000 subscribers.