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NY Times: Microsoft in Tentative Movie Deal for "Halo" Xbox Game

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 10, 2005 - 10:08am.
New York -- The New York Times on Friday provided a detailed inside look at Microsoft's pitch to Hollywood movie producers to create a movie version of its popular "Halo" video game for Xbox -- which in its first weekend of sales generated more money than the top-grossing opening weekend for a movie ("Spider-Man 2"). The company's offer -- delivered to the major studios on Monday with a 24-hour deadline -- demanded $10 million for the movie rights, 15% of box office, a budget of at least $75 million, all merchandising rights, create control over script, cast and director, and other lavish extras. Five studios immediately rejected the offer, which included a script penned by "28 Days Later" writer Alex Garland, but Microsoft has reached a tentative deal to make the film with Universal Pictures, with additional financing from Fox. Reported terms of their deal give Microsoft $5 million for the rights to "Halo," in addition to 10% of box office sales; Universal would oversee production and distribute the movie in the U.S., while Fox would also provide input into production and retain foreign distribution rights.
tags: Deals | Microsoft | Movies | NY Times | Halo | Xbox Game |

CNET: Microsoft Plans Music Subscription Service

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 10, 2005 - 10:06am.
San Francisco -- Microsoft is planning to introduce a subscription-based digital music service, to compete both with rival Apple's dominant song store and other subscription models from Yahoo and RealNetworks, CNET News.com reported, citing sources familiar with the plans. "We think that the subscription model is very interesting," MSN lead product manager Christine Andrews told News.com. "It is something that we will continue to look into." Microsoft is reportedly asking record labels for the rights to offer prospective subscribers to its service a Microsoft-formatted version of any song they purchase from the iTunes Store, so they can be played on devices other than an iPod. The company is also planning introductory pricing for the subscription service in line with Yahoo's offering; at $6.99 per month, the current pricing of Yahoo's service undercuts competing services from Napster and ReaNetworks, which charge $15 a month.
tags: Microsoft | CNET | Subscription | Musics |

Chinese Man Who Murdered Virtual Sword Thief Given Life in Prison

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 10, 2005 - 10:04am.
Beijing -- A Chinese man who stabbed a fellow online gamer to death in real-life for selling his virtual sword from an online game has received life in prison for the murder, Reuters reported, citing Chinese state media. Qiu Chengwei, 41, stabbed 26-year-old Zhu Caoyuan to death because he sold an online sword the two had accrued playing "Legend of Mir 3" for about $870. Qiu was rebuffed by police when he reported the theft of the virtual sword, who told him it was not actual property and thus not protected by law. Qiu was actually given a "suspended death sentence" for the murder, which could be reduced to 15 years for good behavior. "We want Qiu to die, and immediately," Zhu Caoyuan's father told Chinese media.
tags: China | Prison | Murders | Thief |

Report: U.K. Digital Penetration Reaches 61.9% in 1st Qtr

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 10, 2005 - 10:02am.
London -- According to Ofcom's latest Digital Television Update, digital TV penetration in the U.K. reached nearly 62% in the first quarter of 2005, a 2.5% increase compared to the previous quarter and up considerably from the 53% recorded in the first quarter of last year. The total number of digital TV households in the U.K. grew by 643,517 to more than 15.4 million, Ofcom said. Top dog BSkyB added 87,000 subscribers alone in the first quarter, bringing its total number of subscribers to more than 7.3 million. The popularity of Freeview, which does not charge subscription fees, continued to soar as the number of Freeview-only households passed the 5-million mark for the first time ever.
tags: VC | Reports | U.K | Digital Penetration | 1st Qtr |

Chinese Govt. Censorship Campaign Targets Imported Online Games

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 10, 2005 - 10:01am.
Shanghai -- The Chinese government's ongoing efforts to censor the Internet for citizens is being extended to online games, where titles featuring pornography, violence or gambling will be banned from import, the Ministry of Culture told Reuters. An enforcement effort that began in April and will run through September recently targeted nine titles, including one called "Sexy Beach" -- most of which are imported online games. Also targeted are four illegal online game operators and eight illegal game suppliers. So far, the government's censoring campaign has not affected the largest Chinese online gaming firms: Shanda Interactive Entertainment, NetEase.com and The9. "Some games contain pornography, sex, gambling, violence and other unhealthy content, with imported online games the main culprit," the Ministry of Culture told Reuters, adding that its goal is to protect Chinese youth "who lack self control and can easily become addicted."
tags: Games | Internet | Law | China | Import |

Japan's D&M Holdings to Acquire Boston Acoustics for $76 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 10, 2005 - 9:59am.
Peabody, Mass. -- Boston Acoustics, a Massachusetts-based maker of high-performance audio systems, has agreed to be acquired by Tokyo-based D&M Holdings, an electronic entertainment technology company, for about $76 million in cash. D&M said that the acquisition of Boston Acoustics provides it with a premium speaker line and the ability to deliver customers a complete home entertainment technology. The acquisition also gives D&M a strong foothold in the automotive equipment manufacturing business. D&M's branded products include A/V receivers, amplifiers and CD players; DVD players, DLP projectors and display plasma monitors; and digital media management systems.
tags: Japan | D&M Holdings | Boston |

Gannett Acquires Internet Ad Company PointRoll

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 10, 2005 - 9:58am.
McLean, Va. -- Gannett Co., the large media company, said on Friday that it will acquire Pennsylvania-based PointRoll, a provider of technology used to track Internet marketing and advertising. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. PointRoll helps advertisers and online publishers measure brand awareness, conversions, and advertisement effectiveness. Jules Gardner, who was the company's founder and CEO, announced that he is leaving the company.
tags: Internet | Gannett | PointRoll |