Internet

Korean Social Network Cyworld to Shutter U.S. Service

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 6, 2009 - 9:42am.
Los Angeles - Cyworld, a Korea-based online social network owned by SK Telecom, has decided to shutter its U.S. service three years after launch, having failed to attract a large audience.

Streaming Service Deezer Adds Premium Subscription Plans

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 5, 2009 - 1:27pm.
Paris - Deezer, a France-based, ad-supported streaming music service with 11 million members, on Thursday announced the launch of a new subscription-based offering. Deezer Premium, which will first be available in France before expanding to the rest of Europe, will provide ad-free streaming, mobile access, and the ability to download tracks and playlists. A $7.42 per month tier will provide higher-quality, ad-free streams, while a $14.85 per month tier will provide downloads and mobile access. Deezer recently raised $9.6 million in new financing.

tags: Advertising | Music | Deezer |

Drop in MySpace Traffic to Cut $100M Off Google Ad Deal

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 5, 2009 - 1:00pm.
New York - News Corp.'s (NYSE: NWS) MySpace may lose out on at least $100 million of the $900 million it was contracted to receive from a search advertising agreement with Google (NASD: GOOG), due to lackluster traffic to the website, the Financial Times reported.

Offerpal Names New CEO in Wake of "Scam" Allegations

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 5, 2009 - 11:46am.
Fremont, Calif. - Offerpal Media, a provider of monetization services for online game and social application developers, announced that it has replaced its CEO, after a controversy erupted over the past week concerning whether some of its practices qualify as "scams."

Report: Microsoft Looks to Extend Yahoo Deal Beyond U.S.

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 5, 2009 - 10:35am.
Tokyo - Microsoft (NASD: MSFT) is looking to expanding its search partnership with Yahoo (NASD: YHOO) beyond the U.S., provided it is able to gain approval from antitrust regulators in other territories, CEO Steve Ballmer said on Thursday, Reuters reported.

Report: Digital Out-of-Home Ad Revenues to Hit $3.7B in 2013

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 4, 2009 - 11:37am.
Chantilly, Va. - Revenues from digital out-of-home advertising -- including digital billboards and the displays located in grocery stores, malls and elsewhere -- are expected to grow from $2.2 billion this year to $3.7 billion in 2013, according to a report from BIA/Kelsey.

CubeTree Raises $8 Million for Social Collaboration Software

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 4, 2009 - 10:54am.
Redwood City, Calif. - CubeTree, a developer of Web-based collaboration software built on a social networking platform, said on Wednesday that it has raised $8 million in its second round of funding, led by InterWest Partners.

Tribune Newspapers to Go Without AP for a Week

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 4, 2009 - 8:54am.
Baltimore - The Baltimore Sun and eight other daily newspapers owned by Chicago-based Tribune plan to publish next week without using articles or photos from the Associated Press (AP), an experiment to see how difficult it would be to possibly sever ties with the international wire service, The Chicago Tribune reported.

AOL Sees Revenue, Operating Income Plummet in Third Quarter

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 4, 2009 - 8:45am.
New York - With its spinout from parent Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) likely less than two months away, AOL continues to struggle financially, according to figures released on Wednesday.

Out-of-Home Digital Network Zoom Buys Gym Screen Media

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 3, 2009 - 7:09am.
London - Zoom Media, the U.K.-based provider of a digital out-of-home programming and advertising network in health and fitness venues, announced on Tuesday that it has acquired rival Gym Screen Media.

Qtrax Legal Download Service Inks Deal with China's Baidu

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 2, 2009 - 8:52am.
Los Angeles - Qtrax, the provider of an ad-supported, legal song download service, on Monday announced a deal with Baidu (NASD: BIDU), China's leading search engine, that will see users searching for songs or artists on Baidu directed to Qtrax.

Social Games Maker Zynga Acquires Virtual Pets Firm GoPets

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 2, 2009 - 7:31am.
San Francisco - Zynga, a developer of social media games, has acquired virtual pets firm GoPets for an undisclosed sum, Virtual Goods News reported, citing a Facebook post from GoPets founder Erick Bethke.

Facebook Awarded $711 Million in "Spam King" Lawsuit

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 30, 2009 - 9:47am.
Palo Alto, Calif. - Facebook has won a $711 million judgment against an alleged spammer who the company said accessed members' accounts without permission and sent phony wall posts and messages.

Godengo Raises $2.2 Million for Online Magazine Services

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 30, 2009 - 6:39am.
Emeryville, Calif. - Godengo, a provider of advertising, SEO and other online services for magazines, has raised $2.16 million in new funding, SiliconTap reported, citing a regulatory filing.

Qtrax Expanding Ad-Supported Download Service to Asia Pacific

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 29, 2009 - 3:25pm.
New York - Qtrax, an ad-supported song download service, plans to launch in multiple markets in the Asia Pacific region yet this year, including Australia and New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Hong Kong, China and Taiwan. The company added that it will expand to other territories in the new year.

tags: Advertising | Music | Qtrax |

CBS's Last.fm to Debut Video Service Last.TV

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 28, 2009 - 11:50am.
New York - CBS-owned (NYSE: CBS) social music discovery service Last.fm is planning to launch a new video service called Last.TV, Music Week reports. The service will reportedly initially cover music festivals in Europe, and is expected to launch in January.

Report: In-Game Currency is Most Popular Virtual Item to Sell

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 28, 2009 - 11:16am.
Santa Clara, Calif. - Nearly one-third (31%) of those who purchased virtual goods over the past year also sold virtual goods, with in-game virtual currency being the most frequently sold item from player to player, according to a report from market research firm VGMarket and PlaySpan, an operator of virtual goods marketplaces.

Google Introduces "Social Search" Feature

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 28, 2009 - 11:01am.
Mountain View, Calif. - Google (NASD: GOOG) has introduced a new experimental search feature from its Google Labs, Social Search, which adds relevant public content from a user's friends and contacts to search results.

ScanScout Lands $8.5 Million for In-Stream Video Ads

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 28, 2009 - 7:12am.
Boston - ScanScout, a provider of in-stream video advertising services, has raised $8.5 million in its second round of funding, led by Singapore-based EDB Investments.

Production on Facebook Movie Slated to Begin Next Week

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 27, 2009 - 12:20pm.
Palo Alto, Calif. - A new movie from Columbia Pictures will detail the creation of online social network Facebook, The Baltimore Sun reported.