New York - Jeff Zucker, the newly named CEO of NBC Universal, used his first day on the job to criticize Google's YouTube video-sharing site for failing to install filters to block copyrighted content, FT.com reported. [more..]

Miami - Jack Thompson, a vocal critic of violence in the media who has filed numerous lawsuits against video game publishers, now faces disciplinary proceedings at the hand of the Florida Bar Association, over allegedly false and disparaging statements he made against a judge and several lawyers, Daily Business Review reported. [more..]

San Diego - Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) announced on Wednesday that Station Exchange, the online auction site it launched in June 2005 to allow players of its "EverQuest II" multiplayer online game to pay real money for virtual characters and items, generated $1.87 million in player transactions during its first year. [more..]

New York - A proposal in the New York State Senate would ban residents of New York City and Buffalo from using an MP3 player, cell phone, Blackberry or other electronic devices while crossing the street. [more..]

New York - CBS Corporation announced on Wednesday the formation of CBS Mobile, a new wireless entertainment division within CBS Interactive that will build the company's mobile operation across its various properties, which include CBS, the CW, Showtime Networks, CSTV and Simon & Schuster. [more..]

Augusta, Maine - The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against a 23-year-old man from Maine, for allegedly distributing songs online, the Associated Press reported. [more..]

San Francisco - EMI's Capitol Records has been ordered by a federal judge to pay the legal fees of a woman it sued for copyright infringement over music file-sharing, after the case against her was dismissed last summer, Wired News reported. [more..]

Alviso, Calif. - TiVo announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with Amazon.com, to enable TiVo users to rent and purchase movies and TV shows from Amazon's Unbox video download service and watch them on their televisions. [more..]

Rochester, N.Y. - Despite previous beliefs to the contrary, playing video games has been found to improve vision, according to a new study from the University of Rochester. [more..]

New York - Media conglomerate Viacom announced on Wednesday that it has hired UBS Investment Bank to explore strategic alternatives for Famous Music, its music publishing business. [more..]

New York - Warner Music Group announced that it has signed a deal with social music network Last.fm, licensing its catalog for play on Last.fm streaming radio services offered in the U.S. and Europe. [more..]

Seattle - The Casual Games Special Interest Group (SIG) of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) on Wednesday announced an initiative to facilitate the sharing of sales and revenue data between developers, publishers, aggregators and distributors of casual video games. [more..]

Los Angeles - Entertainment industry news publication Variety announced on Wednesday that it has made all of the content on Variety.com available for free and without registration. [more..]

New York - Publisher Conde Nast's CondeNet digital arm has announced the launch of Flip, a new social networking site for teen girls. [more..]

West Hollywood, Calif. - IAC's Ticketmaster announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with Apple's iTunes Store, to offer free song downloads for ticket buyers, and early access to concert tickets for iTunes Store customers. Under the deal, consumers will receive a free song on iTunes for every concert ticket purchased on Ticketmaster.com. Additionally, customers who pre-order select digital albums on iTunes will be given access to purchase that artist's concert tickets before they go on sale to the general public. [more..]

Palo Alto, Calif. - Online social network Facebook announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with Ziddio.com, a user-generated video site launched by top U.S. cable provider Comcast, to allow Facebook users to post videos and potentially see them aired on TV. The companies will launch a contest in March seeking user submissions of short video segments about their lives, for a new TV series called "Facebook Diaries." The videos will be available for viewing and rating on both Facebook and Ziddio. The ten-episode, half-hour TV series from producer R.J. Cutler ("American High," "30 Days") will be shown both online and on television. [more..]

New York - Sirius Satellite Radio, a provider of radio programming with over 6 million subscribers, announced on Wednesday an agreement with Frank Sinatra Enterprises to create a Frank Sinatra channel. The 24-hour Siriusly Sinatra channel will feature Sinatra's music, in addition to that of other similar artists. Programming will also include a weekly show hosted by the crooner's daughter, Nancy Sinatra; another program, The Chairman's Hour, will be hosted by Frank himself -- based on archival spoken word and music material. [more..]

Stockholm - Musicbrigade, a Sweden-based digital music service provider, announced on Wednesday the launch of an online digital music service in Germany with partner RTL.de, an entertainment portal operated by the European TV broadcaster. The service will offer 1.5 million songs, licensed from all the major labels and many independents, in addition to Musicbrigade's catalog of more than 20,000 music videos. The companies said the joint service will be promoted with an extensive TV and online ad campaign. [more..]

Washington - Washingtonpost.com, the website of The Washington Post, said that it has added a new multimedia feature to its site. Called "onBeing," the feature will present video musings, attitudes, passions and quirks of people in an up-close documentary style. It is the first major project brought to life by Rob Curley, vice president of product development of Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive (WPNI). [more..]

New York - Rockstar Games, a unit of Take-Two Interactive, announced on Wednesday that it will publish "Manhunt 2," a sequel to its violent action title, for PlayStation 2, PSP and Nintendo Wii this summer. The original game was banned in Germany, Australia and New Zealand, and pulled from store shelves by a number of U.K. retailers, after it was found at the crime scene of a murdered teenager there. The sequel is being developed at Rockstar London, in conjunction with Rockstar North, while the Wii version is being created at Rockstar Toronto. Separately, Rockstar announced on Wednesday that it will bring its previously PSP-only "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories" title to the PlayStation 2; the game is slated for release in North America on March 6 and in Europe on March 9. [more..]

Redwood City, Calif. - Electronic Arts on Wednesday announced release plans for the next installment of developer Valve's "Half-Life" game franchise. "The Black Box" will ship for PC, and include "Half-Life 2: Episode 2," "Portal" and "Team Fortress 2". A separate bundle, "The Orange Box," will ship for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and include all of the elements of The Black Box, plus the original "Half-Life 2" and "Half-Life 2: Episode One." Both bundles are scheduled for release in the fall of 2007. [more..]

Chicago - The Wrigley Jr. Company on Wednesday announced the launch of a casual games site designed for play on the Nintendo Wii game console. The maker of Juicy Fruit, Big Red and Altoids launched Candystand.com as an advergaming site in 1997. The games offered on that site have now been made available on the Wii Internet Channel, which also recently launched news updates from AP and other online features. [more..]