SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                           WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                                SCHEDULE 13D
                 Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

                             (Amendment No. 4)


                                 ACTV, INC.
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              (Name of issuer)


                  COMMON STOCK, PAR VALUE $0.10 PER SHARE
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
                       (Title of class of securities)


                                00088 E 10 4
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               (CUSIP number)


                           Diana M. Daniels, Esq.
               Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
                        The Washington Post Company
                           1150 15th Street, N.W.
                            Washington, DC 20071
                            Tel. (202) 334-6000
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
        (Name, address and telephone number of person authorized to
                    receive notices and communications)


                              January 3, 1998
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
          (Date of event which requires filing of this statement)


If the filing person has previously filed a statement on Schedule 13G to
report the acquisition which is the subject of this Schedule 13D, and is
filing this schedule because of Rule 13d-1(b)(3) or (4), check the
following box [ ].

Check the following box if a fee is being paid with the statement [ ]. (A
fee is not required only if the reporting person: (1) has a previous
statement on file reporting beneficial ownership of more than five percent
of the class of securities described in Item 1; and (2) has filed no
amendment subsequent thereto reporting beneficial ownership of five percent
or less of such class.) (See Rule 13d-7.)

Note: Six copies of this statement, including all exhibits, should be filed
with the Commission. See Rule 13d-1(a) for other parties to whom copies are
to be sent.


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CUSIP No. 00088 E 10 4         Schedule 13D            Page 2 of  5  Pages

                              Amendment No. 4

1   NAME OF REPORTING PERSON
    S.S. or I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NO. OF ABOVE PERSON
                                  The Washington Post Company
                                          53-0182885
                           (I.R.S. Employer Indemnification No.)

2   CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP                 (a)[ ]
                                                                     (b)[ ]
3   SEC USE ONLY

4   SOURCE OF FUNDS
                            WC

5   CHECK BOX IF DISCLOSURE OF LEGAL  PROCEEDINGS  IS REQUIRED  PURSUANT TO
    ITEMS 2 (d) or 2(e)                                                 [ ]

6   CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION
                                  State of Delaware

   NUMBER OF         7       SOLE VOTING POWER
    SHARES                                       -0-
 BENEFICIALLY
  OWNED BY           8       SHARED VOTING POWER
    EACH                                2,341,334 (see text of Items 4 and 5)
 REPORTING
PERSON WITH          9       SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER
                                        2,341,334 (see text of Items 4 and 5)

                     10      SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER
                                                 -0-

11  AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON
                           2,341,334 (see text of Items 4 and 5)

12  CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE  AMOUNT IN ROW (11) EXCLUDES  CERTAIN
    SHARES                                     [ ] (See text of Items 4 and 5)

13  PERCENT OF CLASS  REPRESENTED  
    BY AMOUNT IN ROW (11) 
                                   8.24% (see text ofItem 5)

14  TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON
                                        CO


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        The Washington Post Company, a Delaware corporation ("TWP"), hereby
amends and  supplements  in its  Statement on Schedule  13D (the  "Original
13D") relating to the common stock,  par value $0.10 per share (the "Common
Stock"),  of ACTV,  Inc., a Delaware  corporation  (the  "Issuer") with its
principal  executive  offices at 1270 Avenue of the Americas,  New York, NY
10020,  as such  Original  13D was filed with the  Securities  and Exchange
Commission  (the  "Commission")  by TWP on March 26, 1992 and  subsequently
amended.  The Original 13D, as amended by amendment no. 1,  amendment no. 2
and  amendment  no. 3 is  hereinafter  referred to as "Schedule  13D".  All
capitalized  terms not  otherwise  defined  herein  shall have the meanings
ascribed to them in Schedule 13D.

Item 4. Purpose of Transaction.

        The text of Item 4 is followed by the following:

        The Issuer Option  Agreement has terminated  automatically  because
the Issuer failed to pay the second  installment due on January 2, 1998 and
accordingly  all the shares owned by TWP are now free to be sold  publicly.
TWP does not intend to acquire any additional shares.

Item 5. Interest in Securities of the Issuer.

        Item 5 of the  Schedule  13D is hereby  deleted in its entirety and
substituted by the following:

        TWP is deemed to  beneficially  own,  in the  aggregate,  2,341,334
shares of Common Stock,  or 8.24 percent of the  outstanding  Common Stock.
Such amount of shares is based on the  ownership  of the 720,000  shares of
Common Stock  constituting  the Initial  Shares,  the  ownership of 871,334
shares of Common  Stock issued to TWP upon the  Conversion  and the 750,000
shares of Common  Stock  issued to TWP upon  exercise  of the Common  Stock
Option.  Such  percentage  of shares is  calculated  on the basis  that the
28,400,282  shares of Common  Stock  which the  Issuer has  disclosed  were
issued and outstanding on November 18, 1998, continue to be the only shares
of Common Stock outstanding.


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         Pursuant to the Voting Trust Agreement,  William C. Samuels serves
as the Voting  Trustee for TWP's  Deposited  Shares as  described in Item 4
above. Certain information about Mr. Samuels is set forth below:

                  William C. Samuels
                  ACTV, Inc.
                  1270 Avenue of the Americas
                  New York, NY 10020
                  President and Chief Executive Officer

     To the best knowledge of TWP, during the last five years, Mr. Samuels
has not been convicted in a criminal proceeding (excluding traffic
violations or similar misdemeanors), nor has he been a party to a civil
proceeding of a judicial or administrative body of competent jurisdiction
and as a result of such proceeding was or is subject to a judgment, decree
or final order enjoining future violations of or prohibiting or mandating
activities subject to, federal or state securities laws or finding any
violation with respect to such laws.

     Pursuant to the termination of the Issuer Option Agreement, TWP and
the Issuer no longer share beneficial ownership of 1,000,000 shares of
Common Stock.

     Except as set forth above, neither TWP, nor, to the best knowledge of
TWP, any person listed on Annex A, has effected any transactions in Common
Stock during the past 60 days.


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                                 SIGNATURE

        After  reasonable  inquiry  and to the  best  of my  knowledge  and
belief, I certify that the information set forth in this statement is true,
complete and correct.

Date:    December 8, 1998


                                  THE WASHINGTON POST COMPANY,

                                      by
                                         /s/ John B. Morse, Jr.
                                         ------------------------
                                         Name:  John B. Morse, Jr.
                                         Title:   Vice President-Finance


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