New York - For Your Imagination, a New York-based developer of original Web video series and podcasts, announced that it has received an additional $1 million in seed funding from ConsensusOne Ventures, and will partner with the firm to raise its first round of venture capital.

Pittsburgh - Wizzard Media, a podcast hosting service that counted over 1 billion download requests last year, announced on Tuesday that it has signed a content licensing and advertising agreement with YouTube. Wizzard's YouTube channel will showcase the best video content from the Wizzard Media Network across a variety of categories.

Baltimore - Blogdigger, a search engine for blogs and syndicated content, said that it has been acquired by New York-based Odeo, which is rebuilding its podcast network to include both audio and video.

Providence, R.I. - Ando Media, a provider of Internet radio audience metrics, announced on Monday that KCRW, National Public Radio's flagship station in Southern California, will use its Webcast Metrics audience measurement and PodFuse podcast measurement systems. KCRM offers three streaming channels that reach a global audience with over 1.5 million hours of streaming per month, as well as 26 different podcasts with combined monthly downloads exceeding 1.8 million.

Beverly Hills, Calif. - Podcast aggregator and distributor Wizzard Media on Tuesday announced the debut of a new video podcast series from legendary musician and producer Quincy Jones. The series, which will run 26 episodes in its first year, is produced by Quincy with The Robert Thorne Company and will be available on Jones' website, MySpace and the Wizzard Media Channel on iTunes. The first episode features Jones in the studio with Celine Dion, while future episodes will discuss film, popular culture, politics and current events.

New York - The Associated Press will shutter asap, its two-year-old premium multimedia news service geared towards a younger, YouTube-friendly demographic, after it failed to attract enough interest from its newspaper partners, the AP reported. The site offers AP news videos, in addition to asap-produced videos and podcasts, and counts about 200 newspaper subscribers. "We're in the business of providing news coverage in a fiscally responsible way," AP executive editor Kathleen Carroll said in an AP interview. "If we launch a product that is intended to generate revenues, they need to generate sufficient revenue for us to continue to produce them."

Mountain View, Calif. - Google has acquired Chicago-based FeedBurner, a provider of RSS feed distribution and management tools, for an undisclosed sum, the companies said.

London - The U.K.'s Association of Independent Music (AIM), a trade group of over 200 independent record labels, announced that it has signed an agreement with the U.K. Podcasters Association that will allow for some 30,000 full-length tracks to be licensed for legal broadcast within podcasts. AIM member labels include Beggars Group, V2, Domino, Ninja Tune and Rough Trade.

New York - Podcast aggregation site Odeo announced on Thursday that its assets have been acquired by SonicMountain, a provider of digital media hosting and search services.

Potomac, Md. - Looking to target the ever-growing population of serious bloggers and podcasters, Larstan Publishing said that it has launched a new monthly trade magazine, believed to be the first publication to launch simultaneously in print, digital and podcast formats. The Maryland-based company said that Blogger & Podcaster Magazine will include news, features, tips and profiles written for and by those who use the thriving online media. Despite an initial circulation of just 20,000, publisher Larry Genkin projects the publication's readership to reach 250,000 in the next year.

London - The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), an international record label trade group, on Friday announced the signing of new licensing agreements between European royalty collection societies that will make it easier to license music for streaming across several territories.

Washington - Washingtonpost.com on Tuesday announced the launch of a line of high-definition podcasts, which the news organization will offer for download on iTunes and from its own website. The HD news videos, coded to play in 720p, include documentaries from Emmy Award-winning journalists Ben De La Cruz and Travis Fox, as well as ongoing presidential campaign coverage.

Santa Monica, Calif. - RingTales, a company that creates animated versions of print cartoons for Internet, mobile, broadcast and portable devices, announced that it has signed an agreement with publisher Conde Nast to create an ad-supported, video podcast of animated cartoons from The New Yorker. The free podcast, available through iTunes, will send subscribers three new animations -- or "RingTales" -- of New Yorker cartoons each week. The animations will also be available on The New Yorker's website beginning next month.

San Francisco - Obvious Inc. announced that it has put its audio podcast aggregation site Odeo up for sale, so that it may focus more on Twitter, its social networking start-up.

Washington - NPR announced that it has added a new slate of podcasts to its 390-title directory, including a full podcast for its "Fresh Air" program from WHYY Philadelphia; its first video podcast, for KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic"; "Car Talk Call of the Week"; and a new podcast from "Day to Day" contributor Xeni Jardin. In addition, the company said that it has upgraded the audio fidelity for its music-related podcasts, from 64K mono to 128K stereo. NPR said its podcasts have to date been downloaded more than 80 million times.

Dearborn, Mich. - Automaker Ford on Thursday announced the launch of a free, monthly music video podcast series to promote its Ford Edge SUV. The series will feature full-length music videos from artists including Cat Power, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Wolfmother and Gomez.

Los Angeles - The LA Opera announced on Thursday that it has extended its podcast series through the remainder of its 2006/2007 season, and will produce an additional fourteen episodes of "Behind the Curtain at the LA Opera." The company said that listeners to the first four episodes of the podcast, produced by iPressroom Corporation, outnumbered actual seats at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion by more than five to one in the first four weeks the shows were available online.

San Francisco - Kiptronic, a provider of ad-insertion technology for audio and video podcasts, plans to announce that it has raised $4 million in its first round of financing, led by Blueprint Ventures and Prism VentureWorks, NewTeeVee.com reported.

Park City, Utah - The Sundance Institute announced on Friday that it will offer a selection of the short films in competition at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival for purchase and download from Apple's iTunes Store.