Archives

TiVo Reports Tripling Subscribers in Quarter, Wider Net Loss

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 27, 2004 - 8:19pm.
San Jose, Calif. -- TiVo, a provider of digital video recorder services, announced that it added 288,000 new subscribers during the second quarter, more than triple the number it added in the same period last year, and said its total installed base has more than doubled in the past twelve months. For the quarter, the company posted a wider net loss ($10.8 million) despite a 49% jump in revenue to $39.8 million. Of the new subscribers added during the quarter, 225,000 were generated from TiVo's relationship with satellite TV firm DirecTV, which now accounts for over one million of TiVo's 1.9 million total subscribers. Analysts have made much of TiVo's continued dependence on DirecTV, given that the company sold its 4% stake in TiVo in June.
tags: TiVo | Loss | Subscription |

Struggling Games Firm Acclaim Behind on U.K. Payroll, May File for Ch. 11

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 27, 2004 - 8:17pm.
London -- GamesIndustry.biz reported on Friday that employees at struggling video game developer Acclaim Entertainment's Manchester, U.K. and Austin, Texas were sent home today, and also that the company's U.K. employees have not been paid for the month of August. The company's staff at its Austin studio was reportedly sent home after the landlord at the facility locked the doors for nonpayment of rent. Acclaim announced last week that it may have to file for Ch. 11 if it cannot locate a lender to replace its expired credit facility with GMAC Commercial Finance, at the same time that its shares were also delisted from the Nasdaq.
tags: Games | Acclaim | Payroll | Channel 11 | Struggling Games |

HP Unveils Branded Apple iPod, Other Digital Consumer Electronics

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 27, 2004 - 8:16pm.
Miami -- PC maker HP on Friday unveiled a branded iPod digital music player as part of its new consumer digital electronics line that includes cameras and photo printers, home theater projectors and entertainment-based laptop and desktop PCs. In partnership with Apple, HP will sell a 20GB iPod for $299 and 40GB model for $399 -- the same price Apple charges -- and also offer "printable tattoo" water-resistant skins for the players that feature either album cover art or consumers' own personalized artwork or photos. HP is currently taking pre-orders for the branded iPods and will begin shipping them on Sept. 15.
tags: iPod | Apple | HP | Digital |

Report: First Quarter E-Book Sales Top $3.23 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 27, 2004 - 8:14pm.
New York -- Sales of e-books were $3.23 million for the first quarter of 2004, a 28% increase from the same period a year ago, according to data compiled by the Open eBook Forum, a trade group made of technology firms and publishers. Factors impeding the growth of e-books include expense and design factors of portable devices used for mobility, competing e-book file formats and publishers' desire for adequate digital rights management for their titles. "Publishers all want heavy-duty DRM, but the problem is that anything you do gets in the way of buying and using e-books," publishing industry analyst Jean Bradford told CNET News.com.
tags: Internet | Reports | E-Book |

PerfectMatch.com Parent Company MarketRange Raises $7 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 27, 2004 - 8:13pm.
Seattle -- MarketRange, a provider of online communities including dating site PerfectMatch.com and TalentMatch.com, announced that it has raised $7 million in its second round of venture capital financing. Ignition Partners led the investment round, in which Mellon Ventures also participated. The company will use the funds to accelerate growth for its PerfectMatch service, aggressively seeking new members through online, radio and television partnerships.
tags: Internet | Deal | PerfectMatch.com | MarketRange |

Report: Downloadable Games Market Expected to Grow Six-Fold by 2009

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 27, 2004 - 8:11pm.
Boston -- In the next five years, there is expected to be a 600% growth in the market for downloadable games, according to a new report form Strategy Analytics. The sector will account for 82% of the mobile game market, the firm said. Meanwhile, the level of private funding of mobile game distributors during the past four months "has not been seen since the halcyon days of the late 1990s." In June, distributor Mforma announced $44 million of financing for its first external round of venture funding. In July, game publisher Sorrent announced that it had raised $20 million in a third funding round led by BA Venture Partners, and Canadian mobile publisher, Airborne Entertainment, announced a new financing deal worth $22 million led by Insight Venture Partners. In August, IN-FUSIO announced that it had raised $27 million in its latest round of financing led by Insight Venture Partners.
tags: Games | Internet | Reports | Grow | Six-Fold | Downloadable Games Market |

More than 150 Arrested in Nationwide Cyber Crimes Sting

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 27, 2004 - 8:07pm.
Washington, D.C. -- Attorney General John Ashcroft on Thursday announced the arrests or convictions of more than 150 individuals as part of a nationwide operation against Internet crimes. Operation Web Snare, which included arrests of several people on Thursday, is targeting a variety of online economic crimes including identity theft, fraud, counterfeit software, computer intrusions and other intellectual property crimes. It also is targeting "phishing," where criminals use e-mails and web sites resembling those of legitimate organizations to commit identity theft and fraud. According to the Anti-Phishing Working Group, the number of unique phishing attacks increased from 176 in January to 1,422 in June. Ashcroft said that he has recommended full use of the new Identity Theft Penalty Enhancement Act, which mandates stiff prison terms for those who use identity theft to commit other crimes. "This effort shows how effective law enforcement can be against online crime when all levels of government -- domestically and internationally -- work together," said Ashcroft.
tags: Law | Cyber Crimes | Arrestation |