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ArchivesBuzz Watch: Transformers – The MovieAuthored by Jay Baage on September 20, 2006 - 12:23pm.
 “Dueling alien races, the Autobots and the Decepticons, bring their battle to Earth, leaving the future of humankind hanging in the balance.” Sounds like a B-movie? Well, Transformers, an upcoming live-action feature film based on the popular TV series, it is gathering a lot of buzz online. It is currently number four on Yahoo Buzz list for movies and the movie is not set to premier until the July 4, 2007.
News Corp.'s Murdoch to Launch MySpace in ChinaAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on September 20, 2006 - 12:10pm.
New York - News Corporation chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch plans to launch the company's MySpace social networking service in China, the Financial Times reported. The Chinese MySpace offering would likely be a 50-50 joint venture with local partners, in part so that the site can be localized for a Chinese audience, and also so that local partners can deal with any complaints from authorities. "We have to make MySpace a very Chinese site," Murdoch said at a media conference organized by Goldman Sachs. "I have sent my wife across there because she understands the language." Murdoch's wife, Wendy Deng, is not a News Corp. officer, but is working in the country with senior News Corp. executives on the MySpace launch -- for which no date has yet been announced.
Liberty Media Closes First Phase of Acquisition of IDT, Stan Lee's POWAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on September 20, 2006 - 12:09pm.
Beverly Hills, Calif. - Liberty Media announced on Wednesday that it has completed the first stage of its acquisition of IDT's entertainment division, which includes a stake in Marvel Comics maven Stan Lee's POW Entertainment and six character franchises created and co-produced by POW. The $186 million deal includes other IDT assets including Film Roman and Anchor Bay Entertainment, all of which will now fall under Liberty's Starz Entertainment. Liberty Media owns stakes in a variety of cable TV programming, cable and satellite TV provider and other media firms.
YouTube, Cingular Launch Music Video Contest for Unsigned ArtistsAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on September 20, 2006 - 12:09pm.
San Mateo, Calif. - Video-sharing site YouTube on Wednesday announced that it has partnered with Cingular on a contest for unsigned bands that will award four winners an appearance on ABC's Good Morning America. Sponsored by Cingular, the YouTube Underground contest will accept original video submissions from Oct. 2 through Oct. 18. Finalists will be chosen by the YouTube community, while music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas ("The O.C.," "Grey's Anatomy") will select the best song, best music video, best live performance and best creative work. In addition to the appearance on "Good Morning America," the winning bands will receive new equipment, billing at a separate gig in New York City, the chance to have their music featured in a major movie or TV show, and ringtone distribution through Cingular. Earlier this week, YouTube signed an agreement with Warner Music Group to legally distribute music videos on its site, with revenue to be split with the label and artists.
MTV to Create Virtual Worlds Around "Laguna Beach," Other ProgramsAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on September 20, 2006 - 12:08pm.
New York - MTV Networks announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with Makena Technologies, creators of the 3D social virtual world There.com, to create a series of virtual worlds based on its programs. Launched in beta mode today, "Virtual Laguna Beach" allows viewers to create an avatar for themselves, hang out at the beach or local surf shop, and chat with one another in real-time. MTV will also premiere episodes of "Laguna Beach" in-world before they can be seen on-air; an upcoming episode in which the teens attend their Winter Formal will be followed by an in-world version of the dance, where users can select a tux or prom dress for their on-screen identities. MTV partnered with Mediavest Worldwide and OMD to develop virtual advertisements within the online worlds, and said Pepsi is among initial sponsors. Viewers in-world will be able to interact with sponsors' content and also purchase virtual as well as physical goods. The company is also working with Doppleganger on virtual music environments. Later this year, MTV Networks plans to debut a second virtual world for its Logo network for the LGBT community.
Yahoo Debuts Co-Branded Site for Al Gore's Current TVAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on September 20, 2006 - 12:08pm.
Sunnyvale, Calif. - Yahoo announced on Wednesday that it partnered with Current TV, the viewer-created content network launched by former Vice President Al Gore, to launch the Yahoo Current Network. The co-branded online TV network will offer Current TV's mix of user-submitted and professional, studio-produced content, on specialized channels for action sports, cars, travel and current events. A total of eight channels are scheduled to launch by the end of 2007. Each week, the best user-submitted video from each channel will air on Current's television broadcast, and its producer will be paid $500 by Current TV.
IODA Acquires European Digital Music Distributor UploaderAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on September 20, 2006 - 12:07pm.
San Francisco - IODA (the Independent Online Distribution Alliance), a provider of digital music distribution and marketing services, announced on Wednesday that it has acquired Uploader, a London-based distributor of digital music in Europe. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Uploader was founded in early 2005 by independent music pioneer Martin Goldschmidt, the owner of Cooking Vinyl, one of Europe's oldest independent record companies. IODA will add Uploader's roster of 150 labels, representing over 50,000 tracks to its catalog. Uploader staff will run IODA operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Founded in 2003, IODA represents a roster of more than 2,700 independent labels and over 600,000 tracks, which it distributes on iTunes and over 250 other retail outlets.
Sirius to Offer Met Opera Broadcasts, Chelsea FC Premier League GamesAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on September 20, 2006 - 12:07pm.
New York - Sirius Satellite Radio announced on Wednesday that it has signed a multi-year agreement with New York's Metropolitan Opera to create an opera radio channel on its service. Metropolitan Opera Radio will debut on Monday with a live broadcast of the opening night performance of "Madama Butterfly." The channel will feature around four live broadcasts each week, with Saturday matinees enhanced by live interviews and intermission programming. In addition, the channel will offer hundreds of re-mastered broadcasts from the Met's 75-year history, as well as other vocal content. Separately, New York-based Sirius said on Wednesday that it has signed an agreement to become the exclusive satellite radio partner for the English Premier League's Chelsea Football Club. Sirius will provide the official live Chelsea club broadcast for each game, and has signed legendary soccer star Giorgio Chinaglia to host an hour-long pre-game show before each match.
Shaquille O'Neal Creates Own Digital Music Store on BurnLoungeAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on September 20, 2006 - 12:06pm.
New York - BurnLounge, a provider of technology that lets artists and fans create their own digital music stores, announced on Wednesday that NBA star Shaquille O'Neal has launched a digital store to promote and sell his seven hip-hop albums. In addition to individual artist stores, New York-based BurnLounge allows fans to create digital music stores to sell songs from their favorite artists, and earn points redeemable for music and merchandise in their store. BurnLounge also offers a library of over one million titles from all the major labels and many independents and unsigned artists.
DEMOfall '06 Conference Announces Roster of 67 PresentersAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on September 20, 2006 - 12:05pm.
Southborough, Mass. - Network World Events and Executive Forums on Wednesday announced the roster of 67 emerging companies that will present at the DEMOfall '06 conference in San Diego next week. DEMO events allow companies to present their new technology-related products and services to an audience of media, investors and others in the industry. Past presenters have introduced TiVo, Java 1.0 and the Palm Pilot. DEMOfall will include presentations on "search and analytics software that measures influence within the blogosphere"; "an application that allows users to access digital audio via their mobile phones"; and "a portable, visual headset and media center that delivers a 3D-capable viewing experience for gaming, movies and Web browsing."
KOCH Records Licenses Catalog to SpiralFrog Ad-Supported P2P ServiceAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on September 20, 2006 - 12:04pm.
New York - Independent record label KOCH Records announced on Wednesday that it has licensed its catalog for distribution through SpiralFrog's advertising-supported free file-sharing service. New York-based SpiralFrog has also secured licensing agreements with Universal Music Group and EMI Music Publishing for its service, which is scheduled to launch in North America in December.
Motorola, PCCW to Trial Mobile TV Service in Hong KongAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on September 20, 2006 - 12:03pm.
Hong Kong - Motorola announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with Hong Kong-based wireless carrier PCCW-HKT Telephone Ltd. to conduct a six-month trial of Motorola's mobile TV service in Hong Kong. The test, which will be conducted through March 2007 in Hong Kong's Quarry Bay district, will utilize Motorola's DVB-H mobile devices, network solutions and interactive services platform.
TiVo, Information Resources Launch TV Ad Research ServiceAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on September 20, 2006 - 12:03pm.
Alviso, Calif. - TiVo, a provider of digital video recorder hardware, software and services, announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with Information Resources to launch the IRI TiVo Consumer Insights Suite, a TV advertising research service. The companies said the service is the first to link consumer digital video recorder viewing patterns to purchase decisions.
AccessIT Signs Deal with The Bigger Picture for Digital Cinema ContentAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on September 20, 2006 - 12:01pm.
Morristown, N.J. - Access Integrated Technologies (AccessIT), a provider of digital cinema software and services for theaters, announced on Wednesday that it has signed an agreement with The Bigger Picture, to make its entertainment programming available to all 785 theaters using Christie/AIX digital projectors. The programs include G-rated movies for kids on the weekends, anime films and "inspirational films" from Fox's new Fox Faith studio.
Pace Micro Technology Introduces HD Digital Video RecordersAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on September 20, 2006 - 11:59am.
Saltaire, England - Pace Micro Technology on Wednesday introduced new two new high-definition digital video recorder set-top boxes. Both the version of the Pace HD PVR for satellite TV systems and the version for cable systems feature a 250GB hard drive and triple tuners, allowing viewers to record two channels while watching stored content. Pace said Turkish satellite operator Digiturk will deploy its satellite HD DVR next year.
GIST Debuts Free Interactive Program Guide Software for Cell PhonesAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on September 20, 2006 - 11:59am.
New York - GIST Communications on Wednesday introduced its UGuide interactive program guide application for mobile phones. The free software lets users search TV programming on their phones, receive recommendations, and remotely program Microsoft Windows XP Media Center devices to record shows.
Simfy.de Launches Price-Comparison Site for Digital Song DownloadsAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on September 20, 2006 - 11:57am.
Palo Alto, Calif. - Kapow Technologies announced on Wednesday that Germany-based Simfy.de will use its technology to collect data from online music stores worldwide for its music downloads price-comparison website. The site currently offers price comparisons from retailers including AOL, Mediaonline, medionmusic, Musicload, OggStar, Finetunes, freenet, Saturn, plattenladen.tv, o2 Music, four music, Kiddo Records, fine.Records, yomama, and Bleep -- and plans to integrate iTunes and Napster later this year. "Although it is not uncommon to see price differences from 30 to 50 percent, now, with one click, users can find the best price for a track or full album available on the Internet," said Kapow's Dariud Heisig.
GN Netcom Debuts Jabra Bluetooth Headsets for iPods, Cell PhonesAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on September 20, 2006 - 11:56am.
Chicago - Audio device developer GN Netcom on Wednesday introduced its Jabra Bluetooth stereo headset, which allows for wireless connections to a music-enabled cell phone or iPod. The $49 Jabra A120s (for MP3 players) and $59 Jabra A125s (for iPod) are now shipping; the $89 Jabra BT320s (for music phones) is slated for release in the fourth quarter of 2006.
Radica Games Licenses Interactive DVD Tech from Bright ThingsAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on September 20, 2006 - 11:54am.
Palo Alto, Calif. - Hong Kong-based Radica Games, a maker of electronic games, said on Wednesday that it has licensed interactive DVD technology from Bright Things, a U.K. company founded by former senior executives at games publisher Eidos. Radica will use the company's Bubble Inside Platform to create interactive DVD games that allow live interactive and physical play with DVD-based games. Applications for the Bubble Inside Platform include DVD board games, quiz games, electronic learning aids and dance mats.
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