Mark Hefflinger

Comcast Acquires Social Network Plaxo for $175 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 14, 2008 - 12:08pm.

Philadelphia - Comcast (NASD: CMCSA), the nation's largest cable TV service and a leading provider of broadband access, has signed a deal to acquire social networking service Plaxo, according to a post on the Plaxo blog. While financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, TechCrunch reports that the purchase price was around $175 million.

YouTube Lets Advertisers Target "About-to-Go-Viral" Videos

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 14, 2008 - 10:43am.

San Bruno, Calif. - Google's (NASD: GOOG) YouTube has introduced a new advertising product called "buzz targeting," which allows advertisers to target videos that are expected to "go viral." The company created an algorithm that "determines which YouTube partner videos are quickly becoming popular on the site and about to go viral. The algorithm looks at several factors, such as acceleration of views, favorites, and ratings activity, and then allows advertisers to target their ads specifically to these videos on YouTube."

ISP Charter to Track Web Surfing for Targeted Ad Sales

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 14, 2008 - 8:30am.

Los Angeles - Charter Communications (NASD: CHTR), a provider of cable TV services that also counts 2.7 million high-speed Internet customers, plans to test a targeted advertising system that would track some of its subscribers' Web surfing in order to serve them more tailored ads, according to BroadbandReports. The company has partnered with NebuAD to build subscriber behavioral profiles and then sell them to third-party ad networks.

Clear Channel Agrees to $17.9 Billion Buyout

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 14, 2008 - 7:35am.

San Antonio, Texas - Radio broadcaster Clear Channel (NYSE: CCU) has announced its sale to private equity firms Bain Capital Partners and Thomas H. Lee Partners, for $17.9 billion or $36 per share -- ending litigation between Clear Channel, the private equity firms and a consortium of banks funding the deal. The original value of the deal was $39.20 per share in October 2007, but the banks involved later got cold feet in light of the current credit climate, and the private equity firms sued to enforce the agreement.

Report: EMI Plans Up to 1,000 Additional Job Cuts

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 13, 2008 - 9:42am.

London - U.K.-based major record label EMI, which under new owner, Guy Hands' Terra Firma, has already announced 1,500 to 2,000 layoffs at its recorded music division, now plans to eliminate an additional up to 1,000 positions, bringing the company's total headcount from around 4,500 to 2,000, The Telegraph reported, citing sources.

Asian iPhone Partners Named; U.K., U.S. Online Stores Sold Out

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 13, 2008 - 9:26am.

Cupertino, Calif. - Apple (NASD: AAPL) has signed deals with Singapore's Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) to launch the iPhone in Singapore, India, Philippines and Australia later this year. In related news, Apple said its online stores in the U.S. and U.K. are sold out of the iPhone -- although retail stores still hold stock -- likely an inventory sell-off making room for the expected launch of the next-generation iPhone.

NBCU and iTunes Make Nice, in U.K. at Least

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 13, 2008 - 7:27am.

London - In a sign that the companies may be resolving their dispute over TV show pricing at Apple's (NASD: AAPL) iTunes Store that led NBC (NYSE: GE) to remove its programs late last year, five NBC shows are now available for purchase from the U.K. version of the iTunes Store, Macworld.com reported. The series -- "Heroes," "House," "The Incredible Hulk," "Eureka" and "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" -- are all produced by Universal Media Studios, and notably feature variable pricing -- one of the sticking points in failed negotiations in the U.S.

Report: HBO Shows Coming to iTunes with Flexible Pricing

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 12, 2008 - 8:52am.

New York - Apple (NASD: AAPL) will soon announce a new deal with Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX) HBO that will bring TV episodes to its iTunes Store under a new, separate pricing structure from other partners, Portfolio.com reported, citing HBO employees involved in executing the agreement.

Cablevision to Acquire Newsday for $650 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 12, 2008 - 7:40am.

Bethpage, N.Y. - Cablevision (NYSE: CVC), a provider of cable TV and broadband services in the New York area, announced on Monday that it will acquire a 97% stake in Newsday Media Group from media company Tribune (NYSE: TXA) for $650 million. Tribune will retain a 3% stake in the company. Cablevision's winning bid beat out other suitors that included News Corp. (NYSE: NWS), which withdrew its $580 million bid on Saturday, and New York Daily News owner Mort Zuckerman.

Starbucks to Test "CODE" Audio Format on Mellencamp Album

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 14, 2008 - 11:46am.

Los Angeles - Starbucks will test a new digital audio format, developed by veteran producer T-Bone Burnett and a team of engineers, on a forthcoming John Mellencamp album due for release via the Hear Music imprint, Digital Music News reported. The album, "Life, Death, Love and Freedom" is due for release on July 15, and will come both on CD and in the new "CODE" format -- which attempts to "closely mirror the fidelity of original, master recordings" -- on an included DVD that allows for transfers to computers and portable devices.

BlackBerry Bold to Support Music Sync with iTunes

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 14, 2008 - 11:44am.

Waterloo, Ontario - Research in Motion's (NASD: RIMM) new BlackBerry Bold smartphone will feature a new BlackBerry Media Sync application that lets users sync their iTunes (NASD: AAPL) digital music libraries on the device. Slated to hit stores this summer, the BlackBerry Bold will also ship with Roxio music, video and photo management software.

CrushedPlanet.com Relaunches Adult-Oriented VOD Site

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 14, 2008 - 11:42am.

Los Angeles - CrushedPlanet.com, a pre-bubble Web video site from the creators of HBO's "Taxicab Confessions" that focused on adult-oriented content, has re-launched as a paid video site with 15 channels, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The site initially launched in 1999, but shuttered two years later due to insufficient broadband penetration. It will feature videos related to sex, relationships and other topics, charging subscription fees of $9.95/month and $99.95/year, or between $0.99 and $3.99 for a la carte videos.

Social Network imeem Adds Support for Google's OpenSocial

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 14, 2008 - 11:41am.

San Francisco - Music-focused social network imeem on Wednesday released support for Google's (NASD: GOOG) OpenSocial on the imeem Media Platform, the site's third-party developer platform. With the addition, developers will now be able to port their existing social media applications created through OpenSocial to imeem, which counts over 24 million users.

Korea's LG, Samsung Team on Mobile TV Standard

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 14, 2008 - 10:22am.

Seoul, Korea - Korean electronics makers LG and Samsung announced on Wednesday that they have partnered to develop a new mobile TV delivery standard for the North American market, as the standards body for the region prepares to adopt a technology in early 2009.

tags: Mobile | Video | Mobile TV | TV | Korea | Samsung | LG | ATSC |

SK Telecom, Virgin Mobile in Talks Over Helio, Other U.S. Assets

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 14, 2008 - 9:28am.

Atlanta - According to published reports on Wednesday, South Korea-based SK Telecom and Virgin Mobile USA are in strategic negotiations regarding Helio, SK's wireless services joint venture with EarthLink, as well as other business assets in the U.S.

MySpace Wins $234 Million Judgment Against "Spam King"

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 14, 2008 - 9:08am.

Los Angeles - News Corp.'s (NYSE: NWS) MySpace has won a $234 million anti-spam judgment against "Spam King" Sanford Wallace and Walter Rines, who were found guilty after not showing up in court to defend against charges they violated the 2003 Can-Spam Act, the Associated Press reported.

Qtrax Signs Warner/Chappell to Free, Legal File-Sharing Service

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 14, 2008 - 8:50am.

San Jose, Calif. - Qtrax, the developer of a free, ad-supported music file-sharing service, has secured a deal with the last of the four major music publishers, Warner Music Group's (NYSE: WMG) Warner/Chappell, to license its repertoire for inclusion on the Qtrax service, Wired.com reports.

SouthPeak Interactive Goes Public Through Acquisition

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 14, 2008 - 7:05am.

Midlothian, Va. - Completing a deal first announced last month, video game publisher SouthPeak Interactive said on Wednesday that it has gone public by acquiring a majority stake in Global Services Partners Acquisition Corp. (GSPAC), a shell company that trades on the OTC Bulletin Board.

Accenture to Acquire Video Services Firm Origin Digital

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 14, 2008 - 6:39am.

New York - Global management consulting and outsourcing firm Accenture (NYSE: ACN) announced on Wednesday that it will acquire Origin Digital, a provider of video capture, transformation and delivery services to content owners.

Nimbuzz Introduces Free Mobile VoIP, IM for Social Networks

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 13, 2008 - 11:27am.

London - Nimbuzz on Tuesday introduced its free mobile VoIP and instant messaging service, which enables free calls, instant messaging and group chat on over 500 supported handsets across services including Skype, Yahoo, AIM, Google Talk, MSN and 23 social networks including Facebook and MySpace. Available now as a beta in the U.K., the service works on Nokia Symbian Series 60 devices connected to a 3G or Wi-Fi network, and also offers a hybrid VoIP for GPRS/EDGE, allowing users to make international mobile calls at local dial-in cost.