Tokyo - Softbank, Apple's (NASD: AAPL) iPhone distribution partner in Japan, announced on Tuesday that it is lowering the cost of basic monthly service for the iPhone from about $67 to $27.60. The company achieved the cost reduction by lowering its packet flat-rate full data charges, which will now vary according to usage.

Schaumberg, Ill. - Motorola (NYSE: MOT) on Tuesday introduced three new music-optimized handsets in its ROKR line: the EM30 'candybar,' which utilizes its ModeShift technology to switch keypad colors in music and phone modes; the EM28, a clamshell device with touch-sensitive keys; and the EM25, a slider phone with FM radio sharing capabilities. The EM30 is expected to launch first in Taiwan then in other markets throughout the quarter, while the EM28 and EM25 will be available later this quarter across international markets.

Hollywood - CBS (NYSE: CBS) Television Distribution said on Tuesday that its "Entertainment Tonight" program will become a provider of entertainment and celebrity content on Microsoft's (NASD: MSFT) MSN portal. Beginning in the fall, ET will have a branded presence on the MSN Entertainment home page, and provide content across television, music and movie sections. ET anchors will also produce a "daily mini-newscast" for MSN.

Deerfield Beach, Fla. - The founder of CBS SportsLine.com on Tuesday announced the beta launch of OPENSports.com, a site that will include breaking sports news, social media tools, user-generated content and multimedia applications. OPENSports is led by Mike Levy, the founder of CBS SportsLine.com and Rob Pythian, founder of Fanball.com. The site launches with content for the 2008 NFL season, but will continue to roll out content and tools for all major sports, including NCAA football, NHL, NBA, NASCAR, PGA Tour, NCAA basketball and Major League Baseball -- and niche sports like MMA and poker.

London - CBS-owned (NYSE: CBS) social music discovery service Last.fm on Tuesday announced the launch of its free on-demand listening and streaming radio service in Japan. The service will offer over 3.5 million free streaming tracks from Universal Music, IODA, The Orchard, CD Baby, Naxos and others, and will expand to include tracks from local Japanese labels. Last.fm in Japan will also include click-through links to purchase songs from HMV Japan.

Santa Barbara, Calif. - Sonos, a developer of wireless, multi-room home music systems, on Tuesday introduced two new remote ZonePlayers that allow access to one's digital music library from any room in the house, or even backyard. The $499 ZonePlayer 120 is an amplified system that connects directly to speakers anywhere in the home, while the $349 ZonePlayer 90 is a non-amplified system that connects to existing audio equipment like a home theater or stereo. The company also introduced a software update for its devices that includes access to free music downloads, from Classical.com, eMusic and LiveDownloads.com, that are valued at over $200.

San Francisco - Digital music distributor INgrooves announced on Tuesday the release of "Songs For Tibet" through The Art of Peace Foundation, a benefit compilation in support of the Dalai Lama that features tracks from Sting, Dave Matthews, Alanis Morissette, John Mayer, Rush, Garbage, Moby, Underworld and others. The album is available through iTunes and the Art of Peace website today, and will be released as a physical CD on Aug. 12.

Duluth, Minn. - The federal judge presiding over the case of Jammie Thomas, the first person convicted by a jury of criminal copyright infringement of music on a file-sharing network, signaled during a proceeding on Monday that he is likely to declare a mistrial in the case, according to coverage by Wired.com and others. The hearing was scheduled after the judge announced in May he may have made a "manifest error" when he instructed the jury that simply the "making available" of songs from Thomas' computer on Kazaa constituted infringement -- even if no actual distribution had been proven.

Port Washington, N.Y. - Apple's (NASD: AAPL) iTunes Store retained its position as the op U.S. music retailer during the first half of 2008, followed by Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), Best Buy (NYSE: BBY), Amazon (NASD: AMZN) and Target (NYSE: TGT), according to a report from market research firm NPD Group. Apple overtook Amazon for third place in the first quarter of 2007, then hurdled Best Buy and Target in February of this year before toppling Wal-Mart to enter the lead in April.

Dallas - Video rental giant Blockbuster (NYSE: BBI) announced on Tuesday that it has signed a deal with NCR to deploy 50 Blockbuster-branded DVD rental kiosks in a pilot program slated to begin in the third quarter.

London - Major record label EMI announced that it has agreed to sell its stakes in three Asian joint ventures to partner Typhoon for an undisclosed sum.

Bethpage, N.Y. - Cablevision (NYSE: CVC), the cable TV operator and owner of sports teams, newspapers, entertainment venues and cable networks, announced on Tuesday that its board has authorized management to explore "all actions necessary or desirable" to enhance value for the company's shareholders, including the spin-off of one or more businesses.

*A clarification has been added to this story.

New York - Sony (NYSE: SNE) announced on Tuesday that it has agreed to buy Bertelsmann's 50% stake in their four-year-old major record label joint venture Sony BMG, in a deal valued at $1.2 billion. "After a careful and thorough review, we made the strategic decision to sell our investment in this joint venture to Sony, a step that we believe will benefit the stakeholders of both our companies," said Bertelsmann chairman and CEO Hartmut Ostrowski.

Boston - Strategy Analytics, a Boston-based research and consulting firm focused on information, communications and entertainment technologies, announced on Tuesday that it has acquired Teligen from Harris Interactive.

Shanghai - Ultizen Games, a game development outsourcing company based in China, announced on Tuesday that it has secured $6 million in its second round of venture capital financing, led by Taiwan's PAC-LINK.

Burlingame, Calif. - BitGravity, a content delivery network optimized for video and rich media, announced on Tuesday that it has raised a $2.5 million seed round of funding, from Allen & Company and individual investors including Sling Media co-founder Blake Krikorian.

Beijing - Koolanoo Group, a Chinese Internet and new media investment firm, has raised $25 million in a new funding round led by an undisclosed investor, along with previous investor Giza Venture Capital, PEHub.com reported.