New York - The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT) announced on Wednesday that it has retained Goldman Sachs as financial advisor to explore the possible sale of its stake in New England Sports Ventures, which includes the Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park and 80% of New England Sports Network.

Mountain View, Calif. - LinkedIn, an online social network for business professionals, announced on Thursday that it has landed a new $22.7 million financing round, from investors including Goldman Sachs, The McGraw-Hill Companies, SAP Ventures and previous backer Bessemer Venture Partners.

San Diego - Verimatrix, a developer of anti-piracy technology for pay-TV networks, announced on Wednesday that it has closed its third and largest-to-date round of financing, led by Goldman Sachs.

Washington - As momentum builds toward the completion of their multi-billion dollar merger, shares of DC-based XM Satellite Radio (NASD: XMSR) and New York-based Sirius (NASD: SIRI) tumbled on Thursday following an analyst report that questioned the very future of satellite radio. Goldman Sachs analyst Mark Wienkes cited a dramatic slowdown in subscriber growth, with younger consumers buying alternatives such as MP3 players and iPhones.

New York - Next New Networks, a provider of thematic online video channels for targeted communities, has raised $15 million in new financing from Velocity Interactive and Goldman Sachs, VentureBeat reported.

San Francisco - Metaweb Technologies, the developer of an expansive online database that aims to house all the world's data, has raised $42.4 million in its second round of venture capital financing, led by Benchmark Capital and Goldman Sachs, VentureBeat reports.

New York - Zagat Survey, the publisher of print and online user-generated, survey-based dining, travel and leisure guides, announced on Monday that it has hired Goldman Sachs to explore partnerships or a potential sale of the company.

Seoul, South Korea - CDNetworks, a Korea-based provider of content delivery network services, announced that it has raised $96.5 million in new financing, led by Oak Investment Partners.

Dothan, Ala. - Movie Gallery, the nation's second-largest movie rental chain behind Blockbuster, announced on Tuesday that it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and will close some of its stores as part of a reorganization plan.

Santa Monica, Calif. - Demand Media, a domain name registrar and operator of a network of niche entertainment websites, has raised $100 million in its fourth round of venture capital financing, led by Goldman Sachs, PEhub.com reported.

San Diego - Veoh Networks, a video-sharing site similar to YouTube, has raised around $26 million in its third round of venture capital financing, led by Goldman Sachs, PEHub.com reported.

London - Venture capital firm Benchmark Capital's new European unit, Balderton, has acquired U.K.-based video game developer and publisher Codemasters from its founding Darling family for an undisclosed sum.

New York - Oberon Media, a publisher and distributor of casual games, announced on Thursday that it has acquired I-play, a developer of casual mobile games. While financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed, Israel's Globes Online reported that Oberon will pay $110-120 million for London-based I-play, which was founded in 1998.

New York, N.Y. - Alltel Corp., the Arkansas-based voice and data communications service provider, has agreed to be acquired by New York-based Goldman Sachs and Texas-based TGP Capital for $2.5 billion.

San Mateo, Calif. - Gemini Mobile, a developer of wireless software infrastructure, including a 3D community platform for mobile phones, announced on Thursday that it has received a $20 million investment from Goldman Sachs.