COMPANY NEWS; Electronic Arts' Move Reflects Industry Trend

Electronic Arts' planned acquisition of Broderbund Software in a $400 million stock swap, announced late Wednesday, reflects an industry trend likely to influence the balance of power in the emerging interactive television business.

Indeed, if the merger succeeds, analysts and industry executives said today that the two companies might be able to forge one of the dominant production companies of the new digital age.

Broderbund Software Inc., which had revenue of $95.6 million in its last fiscal year, publishes interactive personal computer software that includes "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?" and the educational "Living Books" series. Those programs, designed for teen-agers and young children have helped make Broderbund one of the best recognized household names in software. Popular Titles

Electronic Arts Inc., with more than three times the revenue of Broderbund, produces both personal computer entertainment titles and video games for the Sega Genesis, Nintendo and 3DO video-game machines. Its popular titles include sports and action games like "John Madden Football" and "Chuck Yeager Air Combat."

In the much-touted convergence of Hollywood's movie companies and Silicon Valley's high-technology wizards, the key is increasingly seen to be providing "content" -- interactive programming that today play on personal computers and video-game machines and in the future will be distributed electronically via telephone, cable television and computer networks.

"This is about scale," said Richard Shaffer, publisher of Computerletter, an industry newsletter. "Electronic Arts was already the dominant force and this is a powerful combination."