register |
login
| search members submit a classified | request a media kit
connecting people & knowledge
ArchivesReport: U.S. Mobile Video Services to Generate $5.4 Billion by 2009Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 27, 2004 - 7:15am.
Scottsdale, Ariz. -- Mobile video services in the U.S. are expected to generate $5.4 billion in annual revenues by 2009, fueled by greater bandwidth on 3G networks, and advances in compression technologies and multimedia cell phones, says Arizona-based market research firm In-Stat/MDR. A recent survey found that 13.2% of U.S. wireless users are extremely or very interested in purchasing mobile video services, whose availability is currently limited but will expand with market launches in late 2004 and throughout 2005. "Interest in mobile video is higher than for all other prospective mobile multimedia services covered in this survey, including gaming and music services," said In-Stat/MDR's Clint Wheelock. In-Stat/MDR estimates that in 2009, 22.3 million Americans will be able to view video on their cell phones, and 31.1 million will use video messaging, adding to the projected 14.9% of total wireless data revenues that will be generated by mobile video services.
Pirated Games, Modified Game Consoles Reaping Profits in ChinaAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on May 27, 2004 - 7:14am.
Beijing -- While Sony's PlayStation 2 sells for $240 in China -- about a quarter of the average annual income of an urban worker -- and games go for between $24 and $50, illegally modified consoles that sell for $180 and can play pirated games are outselling official models by two or three times, Reuters reported. "The scenario which occurs in the United States where the PS2 is cheaper than the PC just doesn't work over here," said Chen Danian, COO of Chinese online games firm Shanda Interactive Games. Although Sony has only released six official PlayStation 2 games in China since launching the console there in January, gamers can find most titles on the black market for about $0.85 each. Sony rival Microsoft has yet to launch its Xbox game console in China.
Report: One in Three U.S. Homes Will Have Video-on-Demand By 2008Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 27, 2004 - 7:13am.
Boston, Mass. -- One in three U.S. homes will have video-on-demand (VOD) services available to them by the end of 2008, when VOD is available in 36.5 million digital cable homes, predicts Boston-based research firm Yankee Group. Deployments in 2003 rose 70% from 2002, and 11.4 million homes are now capable of using video-on-demand. The firm's estimate is a bit lower than an earlier projection, due to increased desire among cable operators to focus on other services like HDTV and digital video recording, which are being aggressively deployed by their satellite TV rivals. Yankee Group advises cable operators to market VOD more aggressively to their subscribers, as well as expand their available content libraries. Cable firms are also encouraged to continue to deploy digital video recording set-tops, despite their somewhat negative impact on the use of VOD, as that impact will be limited by video-on-demand's broader content offering and ability to support impulse viewing.
Bundled Broadband Services Provider RCN Files for BankruptcyAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on May 27, 2004 - 7:12am.
Princeton, N.J. -- RCN Corporation, a provider of bundled phone, cable TV and high-speed Internet services in major U.S. markets, announced on Thursday that it has filed for Ch. 11 bankruptcy protection, adding that it has reached agreements with key lenders to reduce its debt from $1.66 billion to $480 million. The New Jersey-based company said that Deutsche Bank Securities will provide $460 in new financing when it emerges from bankruptcy, expected in the fourth quarter of 2004. "We continue to believe that our strategy of selling bundled services over a broadband network will define the future of the industry," said RCN chairman and CEO David C. McCourt. "RCN can reduce its debt and emerge as a stronger, more efficient company, giving us a competitive advantage in the long run."
Survey: Brits Spend More on Cell Phone Bills than Gas, ElectricAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on May 27, 2004 - 7:11am.
London -- According to a new survey by market research firm JD Power and Associates, Brits are spending as much as $83 per month for voice, text and other mobile phone services -- more than they currently spend on gas or electricity. JP Power said the figures show a remarkable 14% year-on-year increase. The British -- world-renown mobile phone aficionados -- spend even more on camera phones, more than $99 a month, while prepaid customers are spending a good deal less per month than their monthly contract counterparts -- just over $44. JD Power also found that the popularity of downloading ringtones continues to increase, with 17% of those surveyed saying that they used the service. While 11% of the respondents received news, weather reports and sports updates on their mobile phones, only 7% have downloaded video games to their handsets.
"American Idol" Series Breaks Text-Messaging Event RecordAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on May 27, 2004 - 7:08am.
Redmond, Wash. -- Wireless carrier AT&T Wireless announced on Thursday that its text-message voting feature for Fox's "American Idol" TV series once again figured as the largest text-messaging event by a single carrier, with 13.5 million messages sent during the course of the season. The figure -- an 80% jump over last year's 7.5 million text messages -- includes fan mail, games, sweepstakes entries and song dedications, in addition to actual votes. The show's viewer voting structure has generated some controversy this season, due to reports that many millions of phone votes haven't been counted due to busy lines, possibly created by phone hackers. "Our sponsorship of 'American Idol' is the seminal event that got mainstream America text messaging," said Andre Dahan, president of AT&T Wireless mobile multimedia services.
Report: Record Labels Cashing In On Master Recording RingtonesAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on May 27, 2004 - 7:01am.
London -- Record labels are beginning to see major profits from cell phone ringtones, a market that previously benefited only publishers but is now being cashed in on by labels through the introduction of "sample" ringtones, which use actual snippets of the copyrighted master recording, according to a report from London-based Informa. Record labels are charging far more for sample ringtones -- as much as four times -- than the average cost of a normal ringtone, or between 25% and 55% of the total retail price. Some master recording ringtones in Britain cost a whopping $7.35. "Demanding such high percentage rates by the record companies could certainly lead to the market being depressed," said Informa's Simon Dyson. Informa projects that music industry revenues from ringtones will reach $5 billion in 2007, up from $3 billion last year.
Napster Launches Digital Music Service in CanadaAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on May 26, 2004 - 7:21am.
Toronto -- Napster, the digital music subscription service unit of Roxio, announced on Wednesday the launch of its service in Canada. Napster will offer Canadians a free 7-day trial, enabling them to sample and purchase songs from its library of 300,000 tracks. Individual songs will be offered for as little as $1.00 Canadian ($0.73 U.S.) to Napster subscribers, who pay $9.95 CDN ($7.26 U.S.) per month. Otherwise, a la carte downloads will cost $1.19 CDN ($0.87) and albums $9.95 CDN ($7.26). The company partnered with Canadian brewer Molson on a multi-year marketing alliance, with Napster offering limited free access for Molson Insiders. Napster is the first of the major U.S. services, which also include Apple's iTunes and RealNetworks' Rhapsody, to launch in Canada. The company also beat out its rivals last week when it became the first major U.S. digital music service to launch in the U.K.
TiVo Adds Record 264,000 Subscribers in First QuarterAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on May 26, 2004 - 7:20am.
San Jose, Calif. -- TiVo, a provider of digital video recorder services, announced that it added a record 264,000 new subscribers during the first quarter of 2004 -- triple the number added in the same period last year -- and now claims a total of 1.6 million subscribers. The company estimated that 196,000 of the new additions resulted directly from its relationship with DirecTV -- nearly five times the number of new subscribers from satellite TV reported in 2003. TiVo expects to add 265,000 to 300,000 in the second quarter, and says it is still on target to reach 10 million subscribers in three or four years.
Game Developer Mythic Settles Trademark Dispute with MicrosoftAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on May 26, 2004 - 7:19am.
Fairfax, Va. -- Video game publisher Mythic Entertainment announced on Wednesday that it has reached a settlement with Microsoft over a trademark suit it filed against the company last year. Virginia-based Mythic sued Microsoft after learning of a forthcoming game that the company intended to call "Mythica." Under the terms of the settlement, Microsoft has agreed not to use the term "Mythica" or derivations in connection with computer games, and will drop pending applications for a trademark on the name. Mythic will pay an undisclosed sum for Microsoft's international trademarks on the name and other items. "We have worked hard for nine years to earn our reputation for producing high quality online games," said Mythic CEO Mark Jacobs. "When we filed this suit we said that we were not looking for 'jackpot justice' and once Microsoft recognized this we were able to work out this settlement."
Report: Internet Telephony Poised to Transform Global TelecommunicationsAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on May 26, 2004 - 7:17am.
London -- According to a new study conducted by analysis firm Juniper Research, Internet telephony -- also known as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) -- is set to account for about 12% of global telephone revenues within the next five years. Juniper goes on to predict that the VoIP market will account for roughly $32 billion of the estimated overall market of $260 billion by the year 2009. "VoIP brings new revenue-generating opportunities to the telephony market, by combining voice services with other IP applications," said Juniper Research broadband specialist Ian Cox. "This will redefine the telephone, bringing brand new services with telephony at its core." The report also called on lawmakers not to over-regulate the market. "A balance needs to be established between promoting healthy market competition and ensuring widespread VoIP adoption on a fair and equitable basis," Juniper said. "VoIP requires nurturing in the early years as the market develops."
Nokia Launches Cheaper N-Gage QD Gaming Phone in Europe, ElsewhereAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on May 26, 2004 - 7:16am.
Espoo, Finland -- Cell phone maker Nokia on Wednesday launched its re-designed N-Gage QD hybrid cell phone/mobile game deck in European, African and Asia Pacific markets. The company added that the device will sell for as little as $60 in those regions after rebates; U.S. retailers taking pre-orders for the device are currently charging around $200. The N-Gage's new design was launched after widespread criticisms of the original model, including an awkward means of exchanging games and angle the device must be held at while talking. Games available at launch will include "The Sims Bustin' Out," "Crash Nitro Kart" and "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004."
Monster.com Buys Social Networking Service Tickle for $54 MillionAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on May 25, 2004 - 7:31am.
San Francisco -- The parent company of online jobs site Monster.com announced that it has acquired Tickle, the San Francisco-based provider of a social networking service with 18 million members, for $53.9 million in cash and stock. Unlike other social networking sites such as Friendster, Tickle (formerly Emode) offers IQ and personality tests designed to better match users up with friends and potential mates. The company's career assessment tests will be integrated into those offered to job seekers on Monster.com.
tags: Deals | Internet | Social Networking | Career | Acquisitions | Classifieds | Monster.com | Tickle |
Sony Plans Networked TV Using New "Cell" PlayStation ProcessorAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on May 25, 2004 - 7:29am.
Tokyo -- Sony announced on Tuesday that it plans to sell a networked broadband television in 2006 that will utilize the same "Cell" processor currently in development for use in the next generation of its PlayStation video game console, Reuters reported, citing an interview in Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun. Sony said the Cell processor, which will be up to ten times more powerful than standard chips, will begin a test production in early 2005. Sony has committed $4.4 billion through 2007 to develop the Cell, along with partners IBM and Toshiba.
Loudeye P2P Anti-Piracy Service "Guarantees" 99% EffectivenessAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on May 25, 2004 - 7:23am.
Seattle -- Loudeye Technologies, a provider of streaming song samples and other digital media services, on Tuesday announced a service that guarantees 99% effectiveness in blocking copyrighted content from being traded on peer-to-peer file-sharing networks. The anti-piracy service level agreement is being offered to the music, movie, video game and software industries. The technology comes out of Seattle-based Loudeye's March acquisition of Overpeer, a provider of digital media data mining, anti-piracy and promotional solutions.
Clear Channel Acquires Patent for Selling Instant Live Concert CDsAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on May 25, 2004 - 7:22am.
New York -- Clear Channel Entertainment has purchased a patent it says gives it the exclusive right to record and sell live concert CDs direct from venues, Rolling Stone reported. New York-based DiscLive, which was recently acquired by Immediatek, estimated it would gross $500,000 this spring from selling live concert CDs from bands like The Pixies, Billy Idol and the Allman Brothers. The service includes a mobile recording and CD burning studio that can churn out finished discs for fans to pre-order online and pick up at the venue after the concert. Clear Channel, which operates a similar service called Instant Live, purchased the patent for DiscLive's technology from its inventors, and believes that it covers not only Clear Channel's 130 owned venues, but all U.S. venues as well. The company has granted one-dollar licenses of the patent to some smaller bands that want to record and sell CDs of their shows, but told The Pixies that they may no longer sell their concert CDs direct from venues. "We want to be artist-friendly," Steve Simon, Clear Channel's director of Instant Live, told Rolling Stone. "But it is a business, and it's not going to be 'we have the patent, now everybody can use it for free.'"
RIAA Sues Another 493 File-Swappers for Copyright InfringementAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on May 24, 2004 - 7:40am.
Washington -- The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced on Monday that it has sued an additional 493 individuals for infringing copyrights on peer-to-peer file-sharing networks, bringing the total of suits filed against song-swappers by the music industry trade group to nearly 3,000. The new lawsuits were filed against "John Doe" defendants, which the RIAA seeks to identify by subpoenaing information from their Internet service providers. The RIAA also said Monday that it sued 24 individuals by name, whose identities were discovered in previous John Doe lawsuits. Although as many as 400 defendants have settled with the RIAA for an average of $3,000, the group said it will follow through with litigation when defendants decline a settlement. "We will continue to go the extra mile and seek to resolve these cases in a fair and reasonable manner," said RIAA president Cary Sherman.
Report: $2.3 Billion Q1 2004 Online Ad Revenues Break All-Time RecordAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on May 24, 2004 - 7:37am.
New York -- Internet advertising revenues for the first quarter of 2004 totaled $2.3 billion -- the highest quarterly total since tracking was established in 1996 -- making a 39% jump over first quarter revenues a year ago, according to a report conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers on behalf of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). "Clearly, we're thrilled with the numbers. However, they are just one side of an enormously compelling story," said IAB president and CEO Greg Stuart. "The last two years have offered marketers the opportunity to collect research and data that proves, beyond a shadow of a doubt, Internet advertising accomplishes key marketing goals as well, if not better, than any other ad medium. The proof is in the results." The IAB made a point to note that this was is the first time in history where first quarter revenues outpaced the previous year's fourth quarter totals, as the fourth quarter is traditionally the strongest each year.
Judge Orders Microsoft to Search for E-Mail Related to Burst.com CaseAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on May 24, 2004 - 7:37am.
Santa Rosa, Calif. -- A federal judge in Baltimore has ordered software giant Microsoft to search for an e-mail from one of its executives that allegedly ordered employees to delete any e-mails relating to the company's discussions with a Bay Area firm, the Associated Press reported. Santa Rosa, Calif.-based Burst.com sued Microsoft in 2002, alleging that the company stole its ideas for multimedia software after discussing the technology for several months with Burst. Now, U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz has ordered Microsoft to search computers, servers and backup tapes, as well as question the company's lawyers, about the alleged e-mail sent by vice president James Allchin. According to lawyers for the plaintiff, the e-mail warns employees not to save their e-mail for more than 30 days. Spencer Hosie, an attorney for Burst.com, said that the e-mail could have large ramifications, since Microsoft at the time was "up to its neck in high-stakes litigation." "It appears Microsoft as matter of institutional policy has decided to destroy e-mails in anticipation of litigation," Hosie told the AP.
Online Bookseller Alibris Pulls Auction-Style IPOAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on May 24, 2004 - 7:36am.
Emeryville, Calif. -- Alibris, an online marketplace for books, music and movies, on Friday pulled its auction-based initial public offering, saying that the IPO did not produce prices attractive to the company. Alibris said that it plans to rely on recently acquired private capital fund operations through profitability. "We did not find attractive the prices offered by the public market," said Marty Manley, the CEO of Alibris. The company, which filed for the IPO in early March, said that it does not expect to seek additional financing. Emeryville, Calif.-based Alibris was relying on a process that relies upon an auction among interested investors to set the opening price and allocate shares of a company's stock. "This process can work, if well-executed by investment banking professionals," said Manley. "An auction that attracts fewer bidders is less likely to result in an attractive price."
|
Upcoming DMW Events
Nov. 18-19, 2008 | New York www.televisionconference.com 
Jan. 9, 2009 | Las Vegas www.digitalmediainsider.com 
Feb. 25-26, 2009 | New York www.digitalmusicforum.com Events Calendar Submit a Speaker To receive event updates & announcements: 
DMW 100 Financial Index
NavigationUser loginAds |
DMW Daily NewsletterLatest Top Stories
Latest Briefly Noted
Our Sponsors
PollOur PublicationsOther Ads |
Recent comments
11 hours 44 min ago
1 day 8 hours ago
1 day 11 hours ago
3 days 2 hours ago
3 days 2 hours ago
3 days 20 hours ago
4 days 1 hour ago
4 days 5 hours ago
5 days 21 hours ago
6 days 10 hours ago