New York - Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) MTV Networks on Tuesday announced an online syndication strategy, whereby content from its various cable networks and websites will be offered through video distribution partners including Dailymotion, GoFish, imeem, MeeVee and Veoh Networks. Other sites syndicating MTV Networks content include AOL, Bebo, Fancast, Joost and MSN. Noticeably absent is Google's YouTube, against whom MTV Networks parent company Viacom filed a $1 billion copyright infringement lawsuit in March 2007.

Las Vegas - Yahoo will make its mobile Internet service compatible with a range of phone software, to potentially include Google's phone software and Apple's iPhone, Reuters reported. "(Google's) Android for us is another mobile operating system like (Microsoft's) Windows Mobile and (Nokia-backed) Series 60 that we plan to support once it becomes a reality," said Yahoo mobile chief Marco Boerries. The company on Tuesday released a preview of its Mobile Developer Platform, where developers can create Yahoo Mobile Widgets that consumers can download to their phones, as well as a beta version of a new mobile home page.

New York - Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) BET Networks on Tuesday announced the launch of a vertical advertising network focused on music, entertainment and lifestyle content relevant to the urban and African American communities. BET currently has over 30 content sites in the network, and said that other relevant Web publishers can join to gain attention from advertisers seeking to reach their demographic.

New York - Hip-hop artist Ice Cube and partner DJ Pooh on Tuesday announced the launch of UVNTV.com (U View Network Television), a broadband television site and social network. The beta version of the service, which uses Microsoft's Silverlight video distribution platform, features channels such as Ice Cube's Hip Hop 24/7 TV, Snoop Dogg's Snoopadelic TV, and fashion designer Christian Audigier's Live TV.

Las Vegas - Consumer electronics firm Panasonic said on Tuesday that its new VIERA line of Internet-connected plasma televisions will come equipped with integrated access to Google's Picasa Web Albums online photo-sharing service, as well as videos from YouTube. The first generation of the devices is slated to ship in the spring.

McLean, Va. - XStreamHD on Tuesday introduced its satellite-based transport network for delivering TV, music and games in full HD and 7.1-channel sound to consumer homes. The service utilizes a media server and media receiver that start at $399, and is set to launch in the fourth quarter of 2008. Virginia-based XStreamHD said that popular movies and new releases are delivered via satellite, while vintage titles may be delivered over a broadband connection.

San Francisco - SendMe Mobile, a distributor of mobile media content, said on Tuesday that it has licensed Universal Music Group's catalog. The deal will give SendMe members access to music from Universal artists.

New York - Despite credit market turmoil, U.S. private equity firms raised a record $302 billion in 415 funds last year, according to the January issue of industry newsletter Dow Jones Private Equity Analyst.

Las Vegas - The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) on Tuesday announced the winners of the 59th Annual Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

Brussels - Apple (NASD: AAPL) is close to settling charges it broke European Union rules by operating iTunes Stores with different pricing in different EU countries, and will likely announce steps it will take to resolve the matter this week, Reuters reported, citing people familiar with the situation.

Las Vegas - Comcast (NASD: CMCSA), the nation's largest cable TV provider, on Tuesday announced plans to launch Wideband, a high-speed download service that promises to deliver full HD movie downloads in just four minutes. "Wideband takes four channels and bonds them together and will enable speeds to go up from 12-16 megabits a second to over 100 megabits a second," Comcast CEO Brian Roberts told Reuters. "If it's as successful as we plan we'll roll it out to tens of millions of home shortly thereafter."

Washington - The Digital Media Association (DiMA), which represents large webcasters like Yahoo, (NASD: YHOO) AOL (NYSE: TWX) and Microsoft (NASD: MSFT), has filed a brief asking the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) to refer the question of whether or not an interactive music stream needs a separate "reproduction" license, in addition to the performance license they already pay, to the U.S. Copyright Office, Billboard reported. "Digital music services believe that digital performances are like radio and should require a performance license only," DiMA said in a statement, referring to the license that both webcasters and radio broadcasters pay to performing rights organizations ASCAP, BMI and SESAC.

CES 2008: It looks like this year’s Consumer Electronics Show might be remembered for Sony’s (NYSE: SNE) Blu-ray disc winning the high def disc format war. With Warner (NYSE: TWX) announcing that they are going exclusively with Blu-ray and rumors that Paramount will do the same, it might just be checkmate for Toshiba's HDDVD format.

Las Vegas - The Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC), an alliance of U.S. commercial and public broadcasters aiding the development of mobile digital television, said on Tuesday that it will test two competing technologies in 2008 that use digital broadcast TV spectrum to deliver mobile television signals.

Boston - U.S. digital music revenue is projected to climb from $1.98 billion in 2007 to $5.34 billion by 2012, when "artists will increasingly keep the lion's share of this revenue as record labels become marginalized," according to a report from market research firm Yankee Group.

Redmond, Wash. - Microsoft announced on Tuesday that it has offered $1.2 billion to acquire Fast Search & Transfer (FAST), a Norway-based provider of enterprise search technology and services. The offer represents a 42% premium to the closing price of FAST's shares on Jan. 4, and the deal has been approved both by the company's board, and shareholders representing 35% of outstanding shares.