Microsoft Denies Reports of Gates’ Buying Into Studio

Microsoft Corp. on Friday denied a report that Chairman Bill Gates might make a personal investment in the new Hollywood studio headed by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen.

But Gates and other top Microsoft executives are in discussions to purchase entertainment from the studio, a Microsoft spokeswoman said.

Gates and several other executives from Microsoft met with the studio’s officials to discuss getting various forms of entertainment from the studio, said spokeswoman Pam Edstrom.

The Times reported in Friday’s editions that Gates is in advanced discussions to invest in the new studio, formed last month. Microsoft officials declined comment when asked about it by The Times on Thursday.

But after publication of the article, Edstrom told wire services, “There’s no truth to it. None, zero, nada .”

“Microsoft, as part of their interest for the future of on-line services and the information highway, has turned to many content- and producer-type people,” Edstrom said.

The new studio is a venture among director Spielberg, former Walt Disney Co. studio chief Katzenberg and record executive Geffen.