NBC Universal will shell out $925 million to buy Oxygen Media, the channel for women launched seven years ago by Geraldine Laybourne, Oprah Winfrey and Marcy Carsey.

Oxygen joins a stable of channels owned by NBC Universal that includes the USA Network, CNBC, Sci-Fi, Bravo and MSNBC. The reason for the acquisition is clear: NBC Universal derives about 50 percent of its profit from its cable channels.

Oxygen reaches about 74 million. By that measure, NBC Universal is calculated to have paid less per subscriber than many had anticipated Oxygen to be worth – certainly less per subscriber than it had paid to buy Bravo.

NBC Universal said it plans to sell two of its Spanish-language television stations, including KWHY-TV Channel 22 in Los Angeles and another in Puerto Rico, to help finance the deal.