Top Stories

Video Service Joost Sells Assets to Adconion Media Group

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 24, 2009 - 8:26am.
Santa Monica, Calif. - Adconion Media Group, the operator of an online ad and content network, announced on Tuesday that it has acquired Joost, the streaming TV service founded by the creators of Kazaa and Skype. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 2007 by Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, Joost has raised about $50 million in funding for its peer-to-peer-based video distribution service.

Indie Label Collective Merlin Signs MySpace Music Deal

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 23, 2009 - 9:00am.
Los Angeles - MySpace Music, the joint venture between the News Corp.-owned (NYSE: NWS) social network and the major record labels, on Monday announced a global licensing agreement with Merlin, which represents independent labels accounting for 10% of global music sales. The parties did not say whether Merlin received any equity stake in MySpace Music, although Merlin did note that they have agreed on an "indie participation plan" for Merlin labels and artists, representing "an opportunity to participate in and benefit from the financial growth of MySpace Music with very minimal threshold qualifications."

Sony to Launch Online Entertainment Store in 2010

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 20, 2009 - 11:23am.
Tokyo - Sony (NYSE: SNE) announced plans on Friday to launch a new online store next year that will sell books, music and movies next year, and deliver content to networked televisions and other devices. The company did not provide many details about the "Sony Online Service," as it is tentatively being called, but is expected to be positioned as a competitor to Apple's iTunes Store.

Google Book Settlement Gets Preliminary Approval; Hearing in 2010

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 20, 2009 - 11:02am.
New York - The judge overseeing the settlement agreement between Google (NASD: GOOG) and authors and publishers over the direction of its massive book-scanning project has pushed a hearing on a revised settlement back to Feb. 18, while at the same time granted preliminary approval to the new deal. "The preliminary approval order sends a positive initial message; this agreement promises to benefit readers and researchers, and enhance the ability of authors and publishers to distribute their content in digital form," Google said in a statement.

eBay Completes Sale of Skype Unit to Investor Group

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 20, 2009 - 9:34am.
San Jose, Calif. - Nearly three months after first announcing the deal, online auction giant eBay (NASD: EBAY) said that it has completed the sale of a majority stake in its Skype Internet telephone business to an investment group headed by Silver Lake Partners. Under the deal, the investor group -- which also included Joltid Limited, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Andreessen Horowitz -- paid $1.9 billion and a $125 million note in exchange for a 70% stake in the unit.

MySpace to Acquire imeem Music Streaming Service

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 19, 2009 - 9:29am.
Los Angeles - News Corp.'s (NYSE: NWS) MySpace has agreed to acquire streaming music service imeem for an undisclosed sum, although sources told CNET News.com that the deal is valued at about $8 million. The deal reportedly includes a payment of $1 million in cash, as well as earn outs and accounts receivable.

Forecast: Holiday E-Commerce Spending to Grow 3%

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 24, 2009 - 10:17am.
Reston, Va. - Online retail spending for the 2009 holiday season is expected to reach $28.8 billion, up 3% from a year ago, according to a new forecast from Internet audience measurement firm comScore.

Google Adds TiVo Viewing Data to Google TV Ads Platform

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 24, 2009 - 10:15am.
Alviso, Calif. - TiVo (NASD: TIVO) announced on Tuesday that it has entered into an audience research agreement with Google (NASD: GOOG), which will see Google integrate TiVo television viewing data into its measurement of audiences for ads sold through the Google TV Ads platform.

Live Nation to Sell Live Concert Recordings, Videos on iTunes

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 24, 2009 - 9:42am.
Los Angeles - Concert promoter and venue owner Live Nation (NYSE: LYV) announced on Tuesday that it has partnered with Apple's (NASD: AAPL) iTunes Store on a new live music program, that will see Live Nation Studios offer exclusive recorded and filmed concerts for purchase and download on iTunes.

IDC Acquires Dow Jones' Online Financial Solutions Business

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 24, 2009 - 9:17am.
Bedford, Mass. - Interactive Data Corp. (IDC), a provider of financial market data and analytics, announced on Tuesday that it has signed an agreement to acquire the data and tools assets of Dow Jones & Co.'s (NYSE: NWS) Online Financial Solutions (OFS) business.

Attentio Nabs $786K for Social Media Monitoring Tools

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 24, 2009 - 9:03am.
Brussels, Belgium - Attentio, a developer of social media monitoring services for brands and companies, has raised $786,000 in financing from SRIB/GIMB, TechCrunch reported.

Russian Online Game Developer Nival Network Gets $5 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 24, 2009 - 8:56am.
Los Angeles - Nival Network, a Russia-based developer of online games, has raised $5 million in new financing from an unnamed investor, TechCrunch reported.

Local Shopping Search Engine Milo.com Lands $4 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 24, 2009 - 8:40am.
Palo Alto, Calif. - Milo.com, a search engine that allows shoppers to research products and locate nearby retailers, announced on Tuesday that it has raised $4 million in its first round of financing, led by True Ventures.

Facebook, Zynga Face Class Action Suit Over Offer-based Ads

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 23, 2009 - 11:35am.
Sacramento, Calif. - A class action suit has been filed against Facebook and social network gaming firm Zynga, over "offer-based" advertisements that allegedly resulted in users being billed for unwanted services, Valleywag reported.

Mobile TV Chipmaker Telegent to Raise Up to $250M in IPO

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 23, 2009 - 11:14am.
Sunnyvale, Calif. - Telegent Systems, a developer of semiconductors that enable mobile TV services, on Monday filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to raise up to $250 million in its initial public offering (IPO).

Apple to Launch iPhone in South Korea This Week

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 23, 2009 - 10:16am.
Seoul, South Korea - Apple (NASD: AAPL) will launch the iPhone in South Korea later this week with local carrier KT Corp, which is already accepting pre-orders for the smartphone, the Associated Press reported.
tags: Mobile | Korea | Apple | Retail | iPhone | KT Corp. |

Report: Million Spotify Streams Earn Lady Gaga Just $167

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 23, 2009 - 10:03am.
Los Angeles - Despite racking up more than a million streams in Sweden during a five month period on ad-supported streaming service Spotify, artist Lady Gaga's song "Poker Face" generated a songwriting royalty payment of just $167 from Swedish performing rights society STIM, TorrentFreak reported, citing the local Swedish outlet Expressen.

Study: Online Video Ads Less Effective on Social Networks

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 23, 2009 - 9:36am.
Los Angeles - Online video advertising is more effective on content sites and within email than it is when place on social networking and video game-related sites, according to a report from Eyeblaster, a provider of third-party online ad distribution.

AOL to Unveil New Logo Following Next Month's Spinoff

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 23, 2009 - 8:42am.
New York - Hoping to reinvigorate its business, AOL said that it plans to alter its logo beginning Dec. 10, the day after the completion of its scheduled spinoff from parent Time Warner (NYSE: TWX).

Google Acquires Customized Ad Technology Firm Teracent

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 23, 2009 - 8:28am.
Mountain View, Calif. - Google (NASD: GOOG) announced on Monday that it has acquired Teracent, a developer of online display advertising customized by machine-learning algorithms.