A pair of Denver-based cable companies, United...

A pair of Denver-based cable companies, United Cable Television Corp. and United Artists Communications Inc., said they cannot meet the Feb. 28 deadline for their previously announced merger but that they are continuing their talks on a business combination. Analysts said they expect the deal to proceed but possibly at a slightly higher price than the $1.6-billion value they had placed on the original transaction. The proposed merger, which involves a complicated cash-and-stock swap, would create the nation’s third-largest cable concern.