Englewood, Colo. - EchoStar Communications, operator of the DISH Network satellite TV service, announced on Tuesday that it has partnered with Google on a new, automated system for buying, selling, delivering and measuring ads on the network's 125 national channels. [more..]

New York - Nintendo's Wii video game console outsold both Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3 in the U.S. during February, according to sales data from market research firm NPD Group cited by Reuters. [more..]

Cincinnati, Ohio - Broadcast equipment maker Harris Corporation, and the U.S. arm of Korean consumer electronics firm LG, announced on Tuesday that they have partnered to develop a new mobile digital TV delivery system that will allow for reception of local stations' digital broadcast signals on cell phones, as well as car-based and other handheld devices. [more..]

Los Angeles - Napster announced on Tuesday that it expects to report 830,000 paying subscribers at the end of its fiscal year on March 31, and revenue of $28 million for its fourth fiscal quarter. [more..]

Santa Monica, Calif. - Video game publisher Activision has settled a lawsuit it filed against several former staffers at its Red Octane studio -- developers of the "Guitar Hero" franchise -- with the ex-employees prohibited from developing similar music-based titles for the next 12 months via their new Lodestone Entertainment venture, GameSpot reported. [more..]

Foster City, Calif. - Sony Computer Entertainment America on Tuesday slashed the price of its PSP by $30, with the handheld game system to sell in the U.S. now for $169. [more..]

Washington - Angel investment groups made an average of 7.4 investments in 2006, with average total funding of $1.78 million, according to new figures released by the Angel Capital Association (ACA). [more..]

San Francisco - Thirteen U.S. venture-backed companies completed initial public offerings (IPOs) in the first quarter, raising $1.2 billion -- double the amount of last year -- according to new statistics from Dow Jones VentureOne. [more..]

Cupertino, Calif. - Baynote, a developer of software that delivers product recommendations, content suggestions and socially-driven search results, announced on Tuesday that it has raised $10.75 million in its second round of venture capital financing, led by Steamboat Ventures. [more..]

New York - Sirius Satellite Radio on Tuesday announced an agreement with automaker Lincoln, to make Sirius radios standard equipment on select 2008 model year vehicles. A six-month pre-paid Sirius subscription will be included in the price of the Lincoln MKZ, Lincoln MKX, Lincoln Navigator, Lincoln Navigator L and Lincoln Mark LT. Sirius said nearly 600,000 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles have already shipped with factory-installed Sirius radios. [more..]

New York - Hip Digital Media, a promotional digital music distributor, announced on Tuesday that it has partnered with The Orchard, a digital distributor of independent music with a library of over 1 million tracks. Under the deal, Hip Digital will have access to The Orchard's catalog to create and deliver custom-branded loyalty programs for third-party clients. [more..]

Los Angeles - Private Label Radio, a division of DMI Music & Media Solutions that provides custom digital audio content, announced on Tuesday that it has signed an agreement to promote new music releases on National CineMedia's (NCM) in-theater ad network. Private Label Radio will broadcast its CinemaSounds pre-show program in over 14,000 U.S. theaters, and also produce a music video show for NCM's Lobby Entertainment Network, currently deployed in 670 theaters. DMI’s Private Label Radio also provides in-flight audio programming for United Airlines. [more..]

Seattle - Phone Sherpa, a provider of ringtone creation software, on Tuesday announced the launch of a Mobile Store product that allows musicians and artists to sell ringtones and wallpapers through a Flash component on their websites. "Artists not signed by a major label typically have no access to the mobile marketplace. Phone Sherpa opens the mobile industry to everyone by providing artists with complete control over promotion, pricing, and distribution of their content into the mobile channel," said Phone Sherpa CEO Grady Leno. [more..]

Foster City, Calif. - Sony Computer Entertainment America on Tuesday shipped its "SingStar Pop" karaoke-style singing game for PlayStation 2 to retailers. Developed by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe's London Studio, the sequel to "SingStar Rocks" lets players sing along to 30 actual music videos from artists including Destiny's Child, A-Ha, U2, James Blunt, Franz Ferdinand and Whitney Houston. The game also incorporates the PlayStation 2's EyeToy USB camera accessory to allow users to watch and record themselves performing. [more..]

Durham, N.C. - Video game developer Funcom and publisher Eidos on Tuesday announced the launch of the beta program for their "Age of Conan" massively multiplayer online PC game. The title is scheduled for official release on Oct. 30. [more..]