Google Said to Get Bids for Set-Top-Box Unit by Pace, Arris

Arris Group Inc. and Pace Plc have made the most compelling bids for Google Inc.’s Motorola Home Business, which sells set-top boxes and equipment to cable-television providers, a person familiar with the situation said.

Google, which has been trying to sell the unit, received multiple offers on Dec. 7, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the process is private. A deal has a 50-50 chance of being announced by year-end or postponed because of a complicated financing structure that involves Google retaining some equity and the unit’s patents, the person said. Pace said it made a bid and that it’s halting the trading of its stock.