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USA Networks Inc. is expected to give up on its three-month-long bid to buy the Internet company Lycos Inc. due to strong shareholder opposition.

Quoting people familiar with the deal, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that USA Networks has not decided conclusively to abandon the bid from Lycos, but USA Networks has decided it cannot win the approval for the bid in a vote of Lycos shareholders, the Journal said. That vote is scheduled for July, the newspaper said.

One possible scenario is that USA Networks will sweeten its bid for the Internet portal company. But USA Networks Chairman and Chief Executive Barry Diller has dismissed such a move, making an amended bid unlikely. The New York-based USA Networks declined to comment.

Lycos, based in Waltham, Mass., also declined to talk about the pending deal.

One possible strategy behind USA Networks' thinking, according to bankers close to the company, is that if USA Networks walks away from Lycos now, it would have a chance to make another bid for Lycos if Internet stock prices fall sometime soon, the Journal reported.

Part of the reason USA Networks persisted with its bid in the face of resistance from some shareholders, is that the Diller camp thought technology stocks would indeed drop in price before the July vote, making the original bid more attractive, the Journal reported.

More immediately, USA Networks is expected to explore other Internet deals or partnerships through its Ticketmaster Online-CitySearch Inc., a publicly traded Internet company controlled by USA Networks, the Journal said. USA Networks also operates three cable channels-Home Shopping Network, USA Network and the Sci Fi channel.