San Bruno, Calif. - Google's (NASD: GOOG) YouTube announced on Tuesday that it will expand the size of the videos displayed on its site into a 16:9 widescreen format. "This new, wider player is in a widescreen aspect ratio which we hope will provide you with a cleaner, more powerful viewing experience," the company said in a blog posting.

Dallas - Video rental giant Blockbuster (NYSE: BBI) on Tuesday introduced its new video-on-demand set-top box, the 2Wire MediaPoint digital media player. The device supports HD video content and can be connected to an HDTV set, but otherwise delivers "DVD-quality" video. At launch, the company is offering the device for free, with the advance rental of 25 on-demand movies -- which runs $99. After the initial rentals, movies will rent through the broadband-connected device starting at $1.99 each.

New York - Major record label Universal Music Group announced on Tuesday that it has partnered with instant messaging and group chat service provider Meebo, and will provide Meebo users with ad-supported music videos. The promotional videos will initially feature Kanye West, Ludacris, and The Killers. UMG will also embed Meebo Rooms on official artist pages

Burbank, Calif. - Disney Interactive Studios (NYSE: DIS) on Tuesday announced the release of "Ultimate Band" for the Nintendo Wii and DS. Developed by Utah-based Fall Line Studio, the game features tracks including "Fell In Love With a Girl," "Whip It" and "My Generation." Ultimate Band also lets players lay down their own tracks; the DS version features a "built-in recording studio," according to Disney.

New York - The Bono-backed (RED) charity for AIDS in Africa plans to launch a subscription-based digital music service on Monday that will offer exclusive tracks from artists including U2, Coldplay, Jay-Z, Elton John and Death Cab for Cutie, among others. The $5 per month (RED)Wire service will each week deliver one exclusive song from a major artist; one track from a lesser-know artist; a multimedia element; and a feature on how proceeds from the service are helping in Africa.

New York - Major record label Warner Music Group (NYSE: WMG) on Tuesday reported that digital revenue grew 26% in its fiscal fourth quarter, to $167 million, while full-year digital revenue increased 39% to $639 million, and now represents 18% of its total revenues.

New York - Market research firm eMarketer on Tuesday revised its online ad spending forecast downward for 2009, now expecting to see just single-digit growth of 8.9%, compared with the 14.5% boost it had predicted back in August.

London - Talks on making the Beatles' catalog available from digital retailers like iTunes (NASD: AAPL) have "stalled," Paul McCartney told the Associated Press on Monday. "The last word I got back was it's stalled at the whole moment, the whole process," the former Beatle told AP. "I really hope it will happen because I think it should."

Los Angeles - Comcast's (NASD: CMCSA) Fandango movie ticketing service paid $17 million to acquire Movies.com from Disney (NYSE: DIS) back in June, PaidContent reported, citing a Disney regulatory filing.

Palo Alto, Calif. - FanSnap, a live event ticket search engine firm founded by former StubHub chief marketing officer Mike Janes, announced on Tuesday that it has raised $5.5 million in its second round of financing, led by General Catalyst Partners.

New York - Magnify.net, a provider of Web video distribution services, has raised $750,000 in new financing, led by Innovation Ventures, Silicon Alley Insider reported.

Santa Clara, Calif. - PlaySpan, a provider of digital micropayment services for online games and social media applications, announced on Tuesday that it has raised $16.8 million in its second round of funding.