Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
“Free,” a forthcoming book by Chris Anderson, editor of Conde Nast’s Wired magazine, asserts that media companies can make money from free content. Wired’s March issue, which offers a preview, is available for free. “Send us your address,” says Anderson. “We’ll send you an issue free.” (http://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/magazine/16-03/ff_free 2/25)
Everyone should stop what they’re doing and read this article right away.
Shares of Google fell nearly 7% Tuesday morning following the release of data that shows a continued decline in the number of Web surfers clicking on ads — how the search giant generates most of its revenue base. Google’s shares dropped to the lowest price in nearly a year. (http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/google-shares-fall-data-show/story.aspx?guid=%7B08EEEC9A%2DB80F%2D4F98%2D9CD0%2D1F5DEA5B4B0F%7D 2/26)
Yahoo is unveiling a Digg-like news site, at buzz.yahoo.com, allowing users vote on online articles, guiding which ones get prominent billing. More than 100 news sites — including USA Today and the Wall Street Journal — will place Yahoo “Buzz Up” buttons next to their articles. (http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/feb2008/tc20080225_462851.htm 2/26)
Advertisers shouldn’t run television-like spots on Web videos, warns Jason Kilar, CEO of Hulu.com, the joint video venture from NBC Universal and News Corp., speaking at the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s annual meeting in Phoenix. Web video site Hulu is “not like watching TV.” (http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003715331 2/26)
MySpace TV has ordered up a hidden camera series called Special Delivery where special delivery folks get the candid camera routine. Per THR, each episode is 3 minutes long, and MySpace TV has ordered 18 eps. The series was created by Avalon TV, and will be fully sponsored by Frito-Lay/Cheetos.
Mario Lavandeira, better known as the celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton, is negotiating a deal that would provide him with his own imprint at Warner Brothers Records. Lavandeira has also long used PerezHilton.com to rave about his favorite new music. (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/26/arts/music/26pere.html?_r=1&oref=slogin 2/26)
Congressman Ed Markey (D, MA.), sponsor of the new net neutrality bill, warned the FCC to closely examine ISPs’ bandwidth management policies in a packed public hearing held on the issue at Harvard. He made the point that if P2P services are responsible for slowing down network traffic, then it’s time to reexamine broadband policies in order to foster more competition. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin seemed open to ISP regulation, suggesting the agency may have to take action to ensure operators conduct business in an “open and transparent” way.
Internet service providers can’t “arbitrarily” block consumers from using lawful Internet activities in the name of providing better service, says Kevin Martin, chief of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, speaking at a public hearing focused on Comcast’s limits on BitTorrent. (http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2008/02/26/fcc_chief_says_net_providers_cant_block_access_arbitrarily 2/26)
Microsoft plans to test a new way to measure the effectiveness of Internet advertising in a challenge to the industry standard used by Google and others. The software giant’s “Engagement Mapping” attempts to take into account all Internet interactions that lead a consumer to buy a product. (http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSWNAS219120080226 2/26)
Avenue A | Razorfish’s annual digital outlook guide provided a snapshot of current online ad spending trends. It reported that vertical sites accounted for 39% of spending in 2007, followed by 31% of spending in search, only 19% in portals and 11% in ad networks. The agency more than doubled the number of sites it bought ads on, from 863 to 1,832, including entertainment sites, user generated video sites, gaming portals, music destinations and social networks.
Zinio.com, the online magazine provider, is opening a “global newsstand” Web site where consumers can buy nearly 1,000 magazines from around the world. Customers can buy the latest editions of magazines or subscribe to their favorite titles, often at a reduced price. (http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article3434035.ece 2/26)
Glam Media, which operates Web sites geared toward women and serves ads on a network of over 400 partner sites, is raising almost $85 million — $64.6 million from investors led by Hubert Burda Media. Glam plans to use the money to expand internationally and make more acquisitions. (http://www.news.com/8301-13577_3-9877914-36.html 2/25)
Online advertising revenues exceeded $21 billion for the first time in 2007, according to data compiled by the Interactive Advertising Bureau. By most accounts, however, the Internet still represents less than 10% of all U.S. ad spending, meaning there is room for more growth. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080225/ap_on_hi_te/internet_advertising 2/25)
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