Weather Channel final bids due today: source

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Final bids for the Weather Channel are due by the end of Friday, with a consortium of NBC Universal (GE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and private equity firms Blackstone Group (BX.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Bain Capital seen leading the bidding, a source familiar with the situation said.

NBC, Blackstone and Bain will equally split $1.8 billion of equity in the bid, which will be worth $3.5 billion including debt, the source told Reuters.

Another source familiar with the matter told Reuters last week that Time Warner Inc (TWX.N: Quote, Profile, Research) was also in the running for the cable network, which produces national, regional and local weather-related programs.

Privately held Landmark Communications, which put the channel up for sale along with other businesses, had originally sought $5 billion for the asset, sources have said.

General Electric Co's NBC could combine the Weather Channel -- which has more than 96 million U.S. subscribers -- with its own digital weather network, NBC Weather Plus.

(Reporting by Jui Chakravorty Das, editing by Leslie Gevirtz)