Lions Gate Entertainment (LGF) is the unexpected buyer of the TV Guide Network and TVGuide.com for $255 million from Macrovision Solutions (MVSN).

Just last month, Macrovision announced it struck a deal to sell the divisions to media entrepreneur Allen Shapiro and a division of JP Morgan Chase (JPM) for as much as $300 million. But Lions Gate has plenty of cash on its balance sheet and additional funds from a credit facility, and it reduces payments Macrovision might have to make if the assets don't perform as well as they had in the past. So Macrovision figured this deal was a safer bet — it's now expected to close February 28.