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Adware Firm Claria Withdraws Plans for $150 Million IPO

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 12, 2004 - 3:03am.
Redwood City, Calif. -- Claria (formerly Gator), a developer of pop-up ad technology that tracks users' Web surfing in order to deliver targeted ads, announced through an SEC filing that it has withdrawn its plans to sell up to $150 million in shares through an initial public offering (IPO). The company cited current market conditions for its decision. Redwood City, Calif.-based Claria's controversial "adware" technology, which has been bundled with the Kazaa file-sharing software application, is currently the target of several lawsuits from publishers and states who allege its ads violate trademarks and copyright law.
tags: IPO | Claria | Withdraws | Adwares |

College Sports Television Raises $37 Million in Third Round

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 12, 2004 - 3:02am.
New York -- College Sports Television (CSTV), a provider of on-air and online coverage of collegiate sports, announced that it has raised $37 million in its third round of venture capital financing. JP Morgan partners led the investment, contributing $25 million, with the New York City Investment Fund, Constellation Ventures, Allen & Co. and The Coca-Cola Company also participating. In addition to its cable TV network, which reaches 52 million homes through carriage agreements with Comcast, DirecTV and Time Warner Cable, CSTV also operates a network of nearly 160 official athletic sites for colleges and athletic conferences and associations, which generate more than 8 million unique users and 220 million page views each month. News and data from the site is also available on a number of wireless services. The company said it soon plans to launch its TV network in Chicago, Baltimore, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Seattle and Denver.
tags: Sports | VC | Third Round | Colleges | Televisions |

Cell Phone Live TV Developer Idetic Raises $15 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 12, 2004 - 3:01am.
rkeley, Calif. -- Idetic, developer of a streaming live TV service for cell phones, announced on Thursday that it has raised $15 million in its second round of venture capital financing. RedPoint Ventures and Menlo Ventures led the investment round; previous investor Gefinor Ventures also participated. Berkeley, Calif.-based Idetic's MobiTV service was launched in Nov. 2003, and is currently available to Sprint PCS Vision subscribers. The company also created a live streaming audio service for Major League Baseball. Idetic will use the funds to expand its mobile TV service both domestically and internationally through new agreements with carriers and other customers.
tags: VC | Live TV | Cell Phones | Idetic |

Secure Digital Content Distribution Provider Exent Raises $3 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 12, 2004 - 3:00am.
Tel Aviv -- Exent Technologies, an Israel-based start-up, said it has raised $3 million in its third financing round, led by existing investors Concord Ventures and New Enterprise Associates. To date, the firm, which develops security for the digital delivery of games and application software, has raised more than $31.5 million. Exent's flagship product is EXEtender, which allows the secure transmission of content to authorized Internet and Intranet users.
tags: VC | Exent | Secure Digital |

U.K. in Midst of Digital Revolution, Regulator Ofcom Says

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 12, 2004 - 2:58am.
London -- A new report by U.K. communications regulator Ofcom shows that Brits are embracing digital media. The report said that Brits have increased the amount of time they spend on the Internet by eight times over the last four years. Over that same period, they have tripled the amount of time they spend using mobile phones. They have also somehow managed to listen to more radio and watch more TV over that same time. Ofcom's report also shows that DAB digital radio now covers 85% of the country, and that more than half of U.K. homes have digital TVs. 90% of the population has access to broadband Internet. More than 55,000 new broadband connections are made every week. Nine people out of 10 own a mobile phone. And for the first time, Brits now spend more time using mobile phones than they do landlines. "The report reveals the extent to which the U.K. is becoming a digital nation, with widespread availability of digital networks of all kinds," said Ed Richards, Ofcom's senior partner of strategy development.
tags: U.K | Regulator | Digital Revolution |