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MTV Acquires "Virtual Pet" Youth Online Community NeoPets

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 17, 2005 - 9:04am.
New York -- Viacom's MTV Networks announced on Monday that it has acquired NeoPets, which operates an online youth community with 25 million members. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 2000, Neopets.com offers members an online community where they care for "virtual pets" and interact with one another. The site, now offered in 10 languages, is consistently rated among the top-10 "stickiest" websites by Nielsen/NetRatings and comScore Media Metrix. "This property is a perfect fit for MTV Networks, and its acquisition is an important move for us as we aggressively move forward as a multi-platform entertainment company, dedicated to serving our audiences across all the platforms that they use and love," said MTV Networks chairman and CEO Judy McGrath.
tags: MTV | Acquires | Neopets | Virtual Pet | Youth Online Community |

Report: Slight Decline in DVD Player Revenues Seen in 2005

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 17, 2005 - 8:59am.
Boston -- Global DVD player revenues will see their first decline since the launch of the format this year, when they are projected to fall 1% to $19.8 billion, according to a report from market research firm Strategy Analytics. Worldwide sales of DVD recorders reached 8.9 million units in 2004, and are expected to overtake play-only machines in 2008, topping annual sales of 90.9 million units by 2010. "High prices and product complexity have held back demand for DVD recorders, but these factors are now diminishing," said Peter King, of Strategy Analytics. Currently, Japan and Europe lead in DVD recorder adoption, as opposed to in the U.S., where consumers are more likely to own set-top boxes with digital video recorders, such as TiVo.
tags: Reports | Slight Decline | DVD Player Revenues |

Cohen Takes Nominet to High Court Over U.K. iTunes Domain

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 17, 2005 - 8:57am.
Cupertino, Calif. -- Benjamin Cohen, a 22-year-old Internet entrepreneur, announced that he has served Nominet, the U.K. domain name registrar, with papers relating to an application for Judicial Review, meaning that Nominet will now have to defend itself in the court over the itunes.co.uk domain name. Cohen currently owns the iTunes.co.uk domain name, but Nominet ruled last month that he would have to turn over rights to Apple, despite the fact that Cohen registered the name three years before Apple launched its online music store. Cohen claims that Nominet has no legal authority in the case and has refused to revoke rights over the URL. Nominet, however, argues that the High Court cannot rule on its authority because the registrar is not a public body.
tags: High Court | Cohen | U.K. iTunes Domain | Nominet |

"American Idol" to Offer Online Version of Singing Competition

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 17, 2005 - 8:54am.
McLean, Va. -- FremantleMedia, which along with Fox produces the hit TV series "American Idol," has partnered with Los Angeles-based Fluid Audio Networks to launch an online version of the competition, USAToday.com reported. "American Idol Underground" will charge contestants $50 to upload their songs in any of 13 musical genres, which will then receive airplay on Internet music channels. The most popular tracks as judged by Internet listeners will then be rated by a panel of celebrity judges. Fox and Fluid Audio plan to promote the web-based competition at "American Idol" TV auditions.
tags: Internet | American Idol | Online Version | Singing Competition |

Report: Online Poker to Generate $4 Billion by 2008

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 17, 2005 - 8:53am.
Dublin, Ireland -- The global annual commissions generated from online poker sites will exceed $4 billion within the next three years, according to a poll of industry experts conducted by Ireland-based Research and Markets. The total amount gambled on online poker sites this year is estimated to be more than $60 billion. The poll found that most experts believe online poker will be the dominant form of online gambling by 2008, and that Europe will be the leading market. The firm predicted that bigger gambling brands like Ladbrokes will soon enter the space, and believes poker sites will face obstacles like decreasing revenues per active player that will lead to industry consolidation.
tags: Report | Online Poker | Generate |

Contextual Ad Firm ContextWeb Raises $9 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 17, 2005 - 8:51am.
New York -- ContextWeb, a provider of real-time contextual advertising services, announced on Monday that it has raised $9 million in its second round of venture capital financing, led by Draper Fisher Jurvetson Gothan Ventures. New York-based ContextWeb's ContextAd serves ads to readers based on the content of online articles they are reading, embedding hyperlinks to advertisers' sites within the actual text of the article. The company will use the funds to market its ContextAd service.
tags: VC | Contextual Ad | ContextWeb |

MobiTV Gets Investment From Liberty Digital's Jarl Mohn

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 17, 2005 - 8:43am.
Berkeley, Calif. -- MobiTV, a developer of live mobile TV delivery to cell phones, announced on Monday that it has received an undisclosed investment from Liberty Digital founding president Jarl Mohn, who has also joined the company's board of directors. Berkeley, Calif.-based MobiTV offers cell phone TV services in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Latin America, providing content through deals with Major League Baseball, Fox News, The Weather Channel and others. "MobiTV is a significant investment opportunity, as they have earned a leadership position in a category that is experiencing a faster distribution trajectory than that of radio and even cable television did at inception," said Mohn.
tags: MobiTV | Investment | Liberty Digital's | Jarl Mohn |