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ArchivesGannett to Look Into Acquiring Knight RidderAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 7, 2005 - 7:55am.
McLean, Va. - The CEO of Gannett, the newspaper publisher behind USA Today, told an investor group on Wednesday that his company will take a "hard look" at the possibility of acquiring counterpart Knight Ridder, the Associated Press reported. Craig Dubow said that Gannett will carefully consider any acquisition opportunity, as long as it's in the best economic interest of its shareholders. Knight Ridder, which publishes 32 newspapers including The Miami Herald and San Jose Mercury News, is being forced by its largest shareholder to explore a sale.
Report: DVD Sales Peaking, Next-Generation DVDs to Face CompetitionAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 7, 2005 - 7:52am.
Scottsdale, Ariz. - The DVD sales market is likely nearing its peak, and next-generation DVD formats will have compete with alternate delivery systems like video-on-demand for a share of what is estimated to become a $50 billion market for Hollywood video content by 2009, according to a report from market research firm In-Stat. In-Stat stated that, while next-generation Blu-ray and HD DVD formats have generated media interest, they "will not have much impact on the Hollywood 'packaged goods' business until late in the decade." "The migration to next-generation High Definition optical disc formats is not going smoothly," said In-Stat analyst Gerry Kaufhold. "The PC industry is champing at the bit to provide downloaded movies that might compete with DVD sales, and Pay-TV services want to add movies to their Video-On-Demand services, to their new disk-drive-equipped set top boxes, and to their emerging HDTV services." Also by 2009, In-Stat projects that HDTV displays will be present in 41% households in the U.S. and Japan, which, along with Canada, the U.K., France and Germany, comprise the bulk of the Hollywood movie and TV DVD market.
CBS to Offer Free Live NCAA Basketball Tournament WebcastsAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 7, 2005 - 7:50am.
New York - Viacom's CBS Sports announced on Wednesday that it will offer its exclusive live online video coverage of the 2006 NCAA Division I Men's basketball tournament for free. The advertising-supported "NCAA March Madness on Demand" live CBS broadcasts of tournament games will be available on NCAAsports.com. The games themselves, as well as interviews and pre- and post-game press conferences, will also be available on demand. "This is the perfect example of maximizing both the Network's NCAA bundled rights and the full range of assets of the new CBS Corporation," said CBS Sports and News president Sean McManus. CBS will also promote the webcasts on CSTV, its recent acquisition that produces more than 250 official college athletics websites.
Sony Acquires "Killzone" Developer Guerilla GamesAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 7, 2005 - 7:48am.
London - Sony Computer Entertainment announced on Wednesday that it has acquired Netherlands-based game developer Guerilla Games, creators of the "Killzone" game franchise, from parent company Media Republic. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Guerilla signed an exclusive development deal with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe in March 2004, which led to the release of "Killzone" for PlayStation 2 -- a title that has shipped nearly 2 million units worldwide. Guerilla is currently at work on new Killzone titles for PlayStation 3 and the PSP. The developer will become a part of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios.
CBS Launches First Mobile TV Content to Verizon SubscribersAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 7, 2005 - 7:45am.
Los Angeles - Marking its first foray into delivering TV content to cell phones, Viacom's CBS announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with Verizon Wireless to offer a range of mobile TV content to its subscribers. The first CBS content for cell phones will include video news segments from both CBS News and "Entertainment Tonight," in addition to preview clips from the CBS shows "CSI," "Late Show with David Letterman," "Survivor," "The Amazing Race" and "The King of Queens." The CBS content will be available to subscribers of Verizon's V CAST service.
ITV to Acquire U.K. Social Networking Site Friends Reunited for $304 MillionAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 7, 2005 - 7:42am.
London - U.K. broadcaster ITV officially announced that it has agreed to acquire Friends Reunited, a U.K.-based school-reunion website, for as much as $304 million. Under the terms of the deal, ITV will pay an initial $208 million and an additional $95 million if the company meets a number of performance targets between now and 2009. "This deal combines Britain's most popular commercial broadcaster with some of Britain's biggest websites and most popular content online," said ITV Consumer Director Jeff Henry. "Together, they give ITV an unmatched commercial presence in the U.K. on television and online." Friends Reunited, which has more than 1 million subscribers, will be integrated into ITV's website and broadband TV service ITV Local.
Wal-Mart, RadioShack Lead Major U.S. Retailers in Mobile SalesAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 7, 2005 - 7:39am.
San Francisco - Among people who purchased wireless devices from a major U.S. retailer over the past six months, 60% bought their devices from either Wal-Mart or RadioShack, according to a new study by San Francisco-based Telephia. Wal-Mart captured 32% of the market share, up from 15% two years ago, while RadioShack captured another 28%. Best Buy (12%), Target (8%) and Circuit City (7%) rounded out the top five. Overall, however, big box and consumer electronic retailers accounted for just 11% of the total market share, with nearly half of all mobile device sales taking place at retail stores owned by the service providers, themselves.
Europe Facing Registration Rush as ".eu" Goes into EffectAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 7, 2005 - 7:37am.
Brussels - The ".eu" domain name came into force today, with EU Information Society Commissioner Viviane Reding predicting a last-minute surge in registration applications. "I expect a real rush, several hundred thousand in the first few days," Reding said. "European companies should waste no time and register for the new '.eu' domain name." Until now, European companies have used national domains like ".co.uk" and Germany's ".de", or international domains like ".com", but as of today, they will be able "to promote European identity" and "create greater visibility for pan-European e-commerce" with the new ".eu" domain name. Only registered trademark owners, public bodies and companies will be able to register for the first two months, while general registration will begin next April on a first-come, first-served basis.
Limelight Networks to Provide Content Delivery for Xbox LiveAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 7, 2005 - 7:35am.
Tempe, Ariz. - Limelight Networks, a provider of content delivery network services that speed the delivery of content across the Internet, announced on Wednesday that Microsoft is using its services for the Xbox Live online video game service. Arizona-based Limelight will speed the delivery of video game trailers and game demos to millions of gamers.
Thomson Signs Digital Cinema Distribution Deal With 20th Century FoxAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 7, 2005 - 7:33am.
Paris - Digital video equipment maker Thomson announced on Wednesday that it has signed a long-term digital cinema equipment usage agreement with Twentieth Century Fox. Under the terms, Fox will distribute films digitally in U.S. and Canadian theaters and pay a virtual print fee to Thomson's Technicolor Digital Cinema unit. Technicolor has similar agreements with DreamWorks, Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. Thomson intends to deploy at least 15,000 digital cinema screens in the U.S. and Canada over the next 10 years.
WorldSpace Satellite Radio Reaches 100,000 SubscribersAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 7, 2005 - 7:32am.
Silver Spring, Md. - WorldSpace Satellite Radio, a provider of satellite-based digital radio services outside the U.S., announced on Wednesday that it has now surpassed 100,000 subscribers. The company added that it has launched its subscription service in Chandigarh, the capital of India's Punjab state. Chandigarh is the ninth of 10 major India metro launches planned by the company this year.
PassAlong Creates Branded P2P Music Service for Procter & GambleAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 7, 2005 - 7:30am.
Franklin, Tenn. - PassAlong Networks, a provider of legal peer-to-peer music download services, announced on Wednesday that it has created a branded digital music download store for The Procter & Gamble Company. The "Julie's Jukebox" download store, offering a library of 1.1 million tracks, will be available on P&G's Home Made Simple website. Tennessee-based PassAlong Network's service also enables users to earn rewards points by passing or recommending purchased songs to others by IM or e-mail.
Kyocera Wireless Introduces Slider Remix MP3 PhoneAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 7, 2005 - 7:27am.
San Diego - Cell phone manufacturer Kyocera Wireless on Wednesday introduced the Kyocera Slider Remix KX5 handset, which features an MP3 player, 1.3-megapixel camera and up to 512MB of flash memory. The $299 phone is available for subscribers to Leap Wireless' Cricket service.
Klegg Electronics Introduces Mini MP3 PlayerAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 7, 2005 - 7:25am.
Austin, Texas - Chipmaker SigmaTel said on Wednesday that its portable audio chip has been selected to power Klegg Electronics' Klegg Mini MP3 player. The device, which features a one-inch color screen for photo display, measures 1.8-inches by 1.6-inches and is one-half-inch thick. Klegg will offer the player in 128MB, 256MB and 512MB capacities.
LodgeNet to Offer First-run, HD Films from Lions GateAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 7, 2005 - 7:23am.
Sioux Falls, S.D. - LodgeNet, a provider of broadband and in-room interactive entertainment services to hotels, announced on Wednesday that it has signed an agreement with movie studio Lions Gate Films to offer first-run movies in high-definition format on LodgeNet's hotel video-on-demand service. Titles offered under the agreement include "Lord of War" and "Saw II."
Motricity to Develop BET Mobile ContentAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 7, 2005 - 7:11am.
Washington - Viacom's BET cable TV network announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with North Carolina-based Motricity to develop BET-themed mobile entertainment content. BET Mobile ringtones, graphics, games and social networking features will be promoted on-air during BET shows like "106 & Park" and "Rap City." The company eventually plans to offer full-track song downloads and video clips. BET Mobile content is now available for Cingular/AT&T Wireless, Sprint and T-Mobile subscribers, and will be offered to include Verizon and Alltel customers in the first quarter of 2006.
Gemstar, Handmark Launch TV Guide MobileAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 7, 2005 - 7:08am.
Los Angeles - Gemstar-TV Guide International, a developer of electronic program guides and the publisher of TV Guide magazine, announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with mobile media publisher Handmark to launch TV Guide Mobile, a TV listings service for Palm handhelds, Treo smartphones and Windows Mobile-based pocket PCs and smartphones. After a two-week free trial, the service is available for $6.99 per month or $29.99 per year.
Global Music International Distributes Mobile Music Videos in AsiaAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 7, 2005 - 7:05am.
Redding, Conn. - Global Music International (GMI), a provider of music videos from unsigned artists to wireless content distributors, announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with Chinese wireless firms Omnistar and Moli Entertainment, which will distribute GMI music videos on a subscription basis to wireless subscribers in China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao. Florida-based GMI also provides music video channels on RealNetworks' Rhapsody and Sprint's PCS Vision services.
Indiagames to Distribute Electronic Arts Mobile Titles in IndiaAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 7, 2005 - 7:04am.
Redwood City, Calif. - Electronic Arts announced on Wednesday that it has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with mobile game publisher Indiagames, giving the company the rights to distribute EA mobile game titles in India. Mumbai-based Indiagames, a unit of TOM Online, will offer mobile EA titles including "Need for Speed Most Wanted," "NBA Live 06," "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06," "FIFA 06," "Madden NFL 06" and "The Sims 2" across multiple Indian wireless networks. Separately, EA said that it has shipped its version of "The Sims 2" for the Sony PSP handheld to retailers.
Direct2Drive to Power PC Game Downloads on Alienware.comAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 7, 2005 - 7:00am.
Brisbane, Calif. - Direct2Drive, a unit of News Corporation's IGN Entertainment that provides digital game distribution, announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with gamer-focused PC maker Alienware. Direct2Drive will power PC game downloads on Alienware.com, which sells the company's high-performance desktop and notebook PCs.
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