register |
login
| search members submit a classified | request a media kit
connecting people & knowledge
DealGoogle Finalizes $1 Billion Investment Deal With AOLAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on March 28, 2006 - 10:45am.
Dulles, Va. - Following several months of negotiations, Google, the Internet search giant, said in a regulatory filing on Wednesday that it has officially signed a deal to invest $1 billion in America Online. Under the deal, first announced in December, Google will acquire a 5% stake in AOL, its largest advertising partner, sometime before mid-year. There is also a large advertising portion of the deal, in which AOL will get $300 million worth of ads on Google's network, and in turn will sell graphical ads for Google's search engine. The news sent shares of Google up nearly 5% in Wednesday's trading.
CBS, Yahoo Partner to Put "60 Minutes" Content OnlineAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on March 23, 2006 - 3:38am.
Santa Monica, Calif. - Yahoo announced on Thursday that it has signed an agreement with CBS to offer "60 Minutes" video content and news packages to Yahoo's News, Sports and Entertainment sites. Following each Sunday's broadcast, beginning with the launch of the series' 39th season on March 26, Yahoo will offer two news packages featuring unaired "60 Minutes" video footage, complemented by interactive features. CBS and Yahoo previously partnered to stream full episodes of CBS' "Two and a Half Men" and "How I Met Your Mother".
The Orchard, Warner/Chappell Sign Ringtone Distribution AgreementAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on March 23, 2006 - 3:34am.
New York - The Orchard, a digital distributor of independent label music, said on Thursday that it reached an agreement with Warner/Chappell Music, the music publishing arm of major record label Warner Music Group. Under the terms, The Orchard will be granted rights to make songs whose publishing is controlled by Warner/Chappell available as master recording ringtones and ringback tones to U.S. wireless subscribers through its network partners.
2K Sports, Matador Records Partner on "MLB 2K6" SoundtrackAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on March 23, 2006 - 3:25am.
New York - 2K Sports, a unit of video game publisher Take-Two Interactive, announced on Thursday that it partnered with Matador Records and others to provide tracks for the soundtrack to its "Major League Baseball 2K6" title for Xbox 360, Xbox, PlayStation 2, PSP and GameCube. The tracks from Matador artists including Interpol, Pavement, Mogwai and Yo La Tengo will also be featured on 2K Beats, an Internet radio station created to promote the release of the game in the spring.
Mobile Content Firms Kargo, PDAMill Form Joint Venture, DigDooAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on March 21, 2006 - 4:55am.
San Jose, Calif. - Mobile content distributor Kargo on Tuesday announced the launch of DigDoo, a mobile games joint venture with European mobile game publisher PDAMill. DigDoo will develop both single and multiplayer games for Java- and BREW-enabled handsets, and smartphones. The company's first titles are slated for release in the second quarter of 2006.
VeriSign Acquires Mobile Content Publisher m-Qube for $250 MillionAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on March 20, 2006 - 7:55am.
Watertown, Mass. - m-Qube, a provider of mobile content, applications and messaging services, has agreed to be acquired for $250 million by VeriSign, a California-based provider of infrastructure services for the Internet and telecommunications networks. Mountain View, Calif.-based m-Qube is privately held and employs about 200 people in North America. Its customers include Sony Pictures, Major League Baseball Advanced Media, Reuters, and Telus Mobility, among others. The company's main investors include Bain Capital Ventures, General Catalyst Partners, Globespan Capital Partners and Sigma Partners.
Online Games Firm SkillJam Acquires WorldWinner for $23 MillionAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on March 20, 2006 - 7:54am.
Newton, Mass. - SkillJam, a Los Angeles-based provider of "skill-gaming" technology and unit of FUN Technologies, has acquired WorldWinner.com, a Massachusetts-based online game company, for $23 million. WorldWinner.com hosts more than 10 million games and awards millions of dollars in prizes every month, with games in five categories: cards, words, arcade, strategy and sports. Last year, the company had revenue of $10.67 million, a loss of $680,000 million and net assets of $3.9 million, the company said.
Internet TV Firm Brightcove Acquires Rich Media Publisher MetaStoriesAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on March 20, 2006 - 7:48am.
Cambridge, Mass. - Brightcove, an "open" Internet TV service, has acquiredMetaStories, a Seattle-based provider of rich media publishing technology, for an undisclosed sum. Both companies are privately held. Founded in 2000, MetaStories provides rich-media publishing technology used by a variety of media companies including Yahoo, MSN, USATODAY.com, Discovery Networks, National Geographic, and Scripps Networks. Massachusetts-based Brightcove's Internet TV service allows content owners to distribute content and build broadband businesses.
Pegasus Wireless Acquries Wireless Device Remote from MaccontrolAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on March 10, 2006 - 2:45am.
Fremont, Calif. - Pegasus Wireless, a maker of hardware and software for broadband wireless networking and Internet access, said on Friday that it has acquired a wireless technology product line from Miami-based maccontrol for an undisclosed sum. The technology includes a handheld remote that can access any component, such as the TV, DVD player or the contents of a computer, that is linked to a wireless connecter from anywhere in the home.
Cisco Completes $6.9 Billion Deal for Set-top Box Firm Scientific-AtlantaAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 27, 2006 - 10:45am.
San Jose, Calif. - Cisco Systems, the network equipment giant, said on Monday that it has completed its $6.9 billion acquisition of Scientific-Atlanta, a Georgia-based provider of digital video delivery equipment. Cisco said that the deal, first announced in November, will give it a stronger presence in the home entertainment market. Earlier this month, Cisco announced plans raise $5.5 billion in a new debt offering, with plans to use a portion of the proceeds to fund the acquisition.
Olympic Snowboarder Shaun White Signs Video Game Deal with UbisoftAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 16, 2006 - 8:03am.
San Francisco - French video game publisher Ubisoft announced that it has signed an agreement with Shaun White, the 19-year-old U.S. snowboarding halfpipe gold medalist from the 2006 Winter Olympics. Under the deal, Ubisoft will create snowboarding games for current and next-generation consoles featuring White, the first of which is slated for release in 2007.
XM Satellite Radio Signs $55 Million Deal with Oprah WinfreyAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 9, 2006 - 3:46am.
Washington - XM Satellite Radio, a provider of subscription radio programming with 6 million subscribes, announced on Thursday that it signed a three-year, $55 million deal with Oprah Winfrey to launch a new channel on the service. The new channel, to be called "Oprah & Friends," will debut in September, and will feature a range of original programming from Winfrey's Harpo Radio. The lineup will include regular segments hosted by personalities from "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and The Oprah Magazine, as well as a weekly reality radio show with Winfrey and Gayle King. The channel will be broadcast from a new XM studio at Harpo Studios in Chicago. Some analysts see the move as XM's answer to a deal that rival Sirius struck with shock jock Howard Stern.
Maker of Gizmondo Handheld Game Device Goes Into LiquidationAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 8, 2006 - 4:37am.
London - Gizmondo Europe, a unit of Florida-based Tiger Telematics and maker of the Gizmondo handheld game device, has been ordered into liquidation by the U.K. High Court, which recently refused the company's application for bankruptcy protections. Gizmondo Europe employees will be laid off, and sales of its assets are expected to bring $72 million, according to an SEC filing. Since launching in Europe six months ago, the company has reported sales of only about 5,000 consoles, and has not provided sales figures for the U.S. market, where the device went on sale in October at kiosks in 10 shopping malls. Tiger Telematics CEO Michael Carrender told The New York Times that the company is attempting to raise $30 million in emergency financing from a Swiss equity group to continue its U.S. operations, but the company said in the SEC filing that it is also exploring strategic alternatives that include a sale of the company. "Gizmondo did not fill a need," Wedbush Morgan Securities research analyst Michael Pachter told The Times.
Disney's Starwave Mobile Signs Five Mobile Content License DealsAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 7, 2006 - 4:31am.
North Hollywood, Calif. - Starwave Mobile, the mobile licensing and publishing unit of Walt Disney Internet Group, said on Tuesday that it has signed licensing agreements to distribute mobile entertainment based on five new properties. Starwave will offer mobile content from the upcoming Weinstein Company film "Alex Rider: Stormbreaker"; the AND 1 street basketball franchise; Mondo Media's "Happy Tree Friends"; horoscope provider AstroStyle; and Jada Toys' "Chub City" toy line.
IBM, Sony, Toshiba Extend Pact That Produced PlayStation's "Cell" ProcessorAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on January 12, 2006 - 3:53am.
Tokyo - IBM, Sony and Toshiba announced that they have renewed a joint venture to develop advanced chips for consumer electronics, their first collaboration having resulted in the Cell processor that will power Sony's PlayStation 3 video game console. The companies invested a total of about $400 million to develop the Cell over the last five years; the new five-year agreement will focus on even smaller chips. "This is a winning combination," said Masashi Muromachi, president and CEO of Toshiba's semiconductor division. "With Toshiba's cutting-edge process technology and manufacturing capabilities, Sony's various semiconductor technologies and deep knowledge of consumer markets and IBM's state-of-the-art material technology, we can anticipate breakthrough process technologies for the 32-nanometer generation and beyond."
Digimarc to Support File-Sharing Trade Group's Watermarking ForaysAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on January 12, 2006 - 3:38am.
Beaverton, Ore. - Digimarc, a developer of digital watermarking technology used in copyright protection, announced on Thursday that it is offering support to the new P2P Digital Watermarking Working Group of the Distributed Computing Industry Association (DCIA), a trade group of 72 file-sharing software providers and related companies that includes Sharman Networks, Grokster and Shared Media Licensing. Last week, the DCIA released a letter in which it stated that digital watermarking "offers meaningful resolution to the issue at hand," agreeing with the Supreme Court's assessment of the technology in its landmark Grokster file-sharing verdict. "We are pleased that the DCIA has recognized digital watermarking as an effective tool for identifying copyrighted entertainment content, including music, movies and images, for the purpose of deterring copyright infringement," said Digimarc executive vice president Reed Stager. "As a pioneer and leader in digital watermarking, we are happy to support this initiative."
Casual Games Publisher PlayFirst Raises $5 MillionAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on January 11, 2006 - 4:15am.
San Francisco - PlayFirst, a publisher of casual games to a network of over 450 gaming and other websites, announced on Wednesday that it has raised $5 million in its second round of venture capital financing. Rustic Canyon Partners led the investment round; previous investors Mayfield Venture Partners and Trinity Ventures also participated. San Francisco-based PlayFirst provides independent casual game developers with funding to create titles, which the company then distributes across multiple platforms to portals, retail outlets and other destinations. The funds will be used to expand PlayFirst's roster of games, to rollout new technologies and to increase global distribution of its titles.
Web-based Ad Agnecy Spot Runner Raises $10 MillionAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on January 11, 2006 - 4:11am.
San Mateo, Calif. - Spot Runner, an Internet-based advertising agency, announced on Wednesday that it has raised $10 million in a round of venture capital financing, co-led by Battery Ventures and Index Ventures. Comerica Bank's Technology and Life Sciences Division also participated in the investment round. Los Angeles-based Spot Runner's Web-based service allows businesses to air personalized television ads in their local markets.
U.K. Online DVD Rental Firm Lovefilm Buys Screenclick for $3.6 MillionAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on January 11, 2006 - 4:06am.
Dublin - According the Irish Times, Lovefilm, a U.K.-based online DVD rental firm, has acquired Ireland-based Screenclick.com for about $3.6 million. Screenclick, which has more than 15,000 registered users in Ireland, will be rebranded as Lovefilm.ie. Screenclick founder and CEO Frank O'Grady will remain as CEO of Lovefilm.ie. Lovefilm said it planned to launch a video-on-demand service in Ireland sometime next month. The company has also worked with Intel to make the service compatible with Intel's new Viiv platform for the home entertainment market.
Jamdat Extends Mobile Game Publishing Deal With ActivisionAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 21, 2005 - 2:37am.
Los Angeles - Wireless entertainment publisher Jamdat Mobile announced on Monday that it has extended an existing partnership with video game publisher Activision. The expanded deal gives Jamdat the rights to publish mobile game versions of Activision's new "GUN" title, and its next Tony Hawk skateboarding game.
|
Upcoming DMW Events
Sept. 25-26, 2008 | New York www.nygamesconference.com 
Oct. 2-3, 2008 | Los Angeles www.digitalmusicforum.com 
Nov. 18-19, 2008 | New York www.televisionconference.com Events Calendar Submit a Speaker To receive event updates & announcements: 
DMW 100 Financial Index
User loginNavigationAds |
DMW Daily NewsletterLatest Top Stories
Latest Briefly Noted
Our Sponsors
PollOur PublicationsOther Ads |
Recent comments
15 hours 28 min ago
17 hours 14 min ago
1 day 1 hour ago
1 day 2 hours ago
3 days 11 hours ago
4 days 17 hours ago
5 days 5 hours ago
6 days 22 hours ago
1 week 8 hours ago
1 week 9 hours ago