San Francisco - CNET Networks (NASD: CNET) is expected to announce a broad expansion of its editorial and advertising partnership with Yahoo (NASD: YHOO), sources from both companies told AllThingsD.com. Under the deal, CNET will become the major supplier of technology news and product reviews on Yahoo. Yahoo will also sell some CNET ad inventory, while CNET will sell ads on some areas of Yahoo.

Los Angeles - The Pirate Bay, the notorious Sweden-based BitTorrent tracker site, has announced that it now serves more than 12 million peers, TorrentFreak reports. Furthermore, the site said that the ratio of "seeders," or those who allow uploads from their computers, to "leechers," who only download and do not share their bandwidth, is now 50/50. The ratio climbed from 20% seeders in 2004, to 35% in 2006 and 40% in 2007.

Englewood, Colo. - DISH Network Corp. announced on Thursday that it has partnered with French telecommunications equipment firm Alcatel-Lucent to conduct a test of technology that transmits satellite TV signals to handheld devices this summer. The companies will test the performance and cost efficiency of the DVB-SH mobile broadcast standard.

Culver City, Calif. - Sony Pictures Television said on Thursday that its Minisode Network, which offers condensed five-minute versions of classic TV episodes, has launched on the Sprint TV mobile TV service. Honda has signed on as the launch sponsor of the ad-supported network, which now carries 21 series. The Minisode Network registered 1.4 million streams in February across online and mobile platforms, Sony said.

Los Angeles - College Tonight, an online social network that promotes off-line social interactivity among college students, said on Thursday that it has signed Lauren Conrad, of MTV reality series "Laguna Beach" and "The Hills," as its national spokesperson. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. "Lauren has one of the most mature brands in young Hollywood and is a positive role model for young adults," said College Tonight CEO Zachary R. Suchin. "Her affinity for fashion and everything socially fresh is fluidly synergistic with College Tonight's efforts."

San Diego - MP3tunes, the digital music locker service started by MP3.com founder Michael Robertson, announced on Thursday that its service will be available on Reciva-powered Internet radio devices, allowing users to listen to both Web radio stations and their own music collections on the same device. Reciva's platform for Internet radio playback in multiple formats is used in products including the Tangent Quattro, Revo Pico Wi-Fi, OXX Digital Classic 600, and Grace Wireless Internet Radio. MP3tunes said access to its service will shortly be enabled on another 40 Reciva devices across the U.K. and Europe.

Baltimore - Broadband video start-up TidalTV has partnered with NBC News and TV Guide Network, to feature each provider's programming on its website. Expected to launch in beta later this spring, TidatTV will offer free access to online video programming through a streaming, browser-based platform with DVR-style controls. Other partners include CBS, Sony Pictures Television, Scripps Networks and the National Geographic Channel. Earlier this year, TidalTV raised $15 million in its first round of funding.

Agoura Hills, Calif. - Video game publisher THQ (NASD: THQI) said on Thursday that it is developing "Journey to the Center of the Earth" for the Nintendo DS, based on the forthcoming digital 3D film from New Line Cinema. The game is slated for release in July alongside the film, which will figure as the first digital 3D live-action movie.

White Plains, N.Y. - Nokia (NYSE: NOK) on Thursday announced a promotional partnership with filmmaker Spike Lee, who will "direct" a film that utilizes user-submitted camera phone footage and other content.

Los Angeles - A new survey of U.S. consumers found that 25% of U.S. households, or 28 million, now have at least one HDTV set, and that 5.5 million households purchased an HDTV set for the first time during the 2007/2008 holiday and Super Bowl season.

Washington - The Justice Department is investigating whether an advertising tie-up between Yahoo (NASD: YHOO) and Google (NASD: GOOG) violates antitrust laws, Reuters reported. Under a two-week test, scheduled to end this week, Yahoo is using Google's online ad system to provide relevant ads alongside its search results.

Prague - The Czech police, working with record label trade group the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), have shut down a computer server at the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic that hosted what they said was one of the largest collections of pre-release music in the world.

Framingham, Mass. - TheStreet.com, a financial media company, announced on Thursday that it has made a strategic investment in Geezeo, a privately held provider of Web-based personal finance content and tools.

Los Angeles - News Corp.'s (NYSE: NWS) MySpace on Thursday announced the public launch of its Application Gallery, which features more than 1,000 approved applications for the service developed using the Developer Platform the company launched in February. MySpace rival Facebook has been offering a developers' platform since last May, while Google announced its OpenSocial social media development platform in November.

New York - Buzzd, a location-based city guide and social network for mobile devices, announced on Thursday that it has raised an undisclosed sum of first round financing, led by Greycroft Partners and Monitor Ventures.