Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA | Tags: AOL, Carl Icahn, Facebook, Huffington Post, Lazard, Los Angeles, Time Warner, Tucker Carlson
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Internet investment group Digital Sky Technologies, based in London and Moscow, is investing $200 million in Facebook for a 1.96% equity stake at a $10 billion valuation. The new investor says it sees “tremendous value” in social networks “as they redefine how people communicate.” (Iwantmedia 5/27, http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/social_network/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=217700121 5/26)
Conservative political pundit Tucker Carlson is planning to launch a political news competitor to the Huffington Post, reports The Hill today. <!–
class=”snap_preview_icon”> The site will be called TheDailyCaller.com and will be focused on reporting news about the Obama Administration but will add “facts to the conversation.” (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/05/26/political-pundit-tucker-carlson-to-launch-competitor-to-huffington-post 5/26)
Lazard eviscerated Time Warner in 2006 with its report supporting activist investor Carl Icahn’s campaign to break up the media giant. The investment services firm is now said to be vying for a mandate from Time Warner to spin off AOL. The move could make Lazard “millions.” (Iwantmedia 5/27, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124337772665256101.html 5/27)
Two AOL subscribers are filing a lawsuit against the company for inserting advertising in its email service. Los Angeles residents Rande Bronster and Robert Nachshin allege that such ads are unlawful under the federal Electronic Communications Act and California law. (Iwantmedia 5/27, http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=106721 5/26)
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Filed under: WIRELESS | Tags: AdamLambert, AmericanIdol, Android Developer Challenge, Arkansas, AT&T, Google, Kris Allen, Text messaging
AT&T, one of the biggest sponsors of “American Idol,” might have influenced the outcome of this year’s competition by providing phones for free text-messaging services at parties organized by fans of Kris Allen, the Arkansas singer who won. Fox officials decline to comment. (Iwantmedia 5/27, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/business/media/27idol.html 5/26)
In an effort to continue fostering the Android development community, Google has announced the second round of its Android Developer Challenge class=”snap_preview_icon”> – a competition that rewards some of the platform’s best applications with large cash grants. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/05/27/google-kicks-off-android-developer-challenge-part-deux 5/27)
Mobile music will bring in $5.5 billion by 2013, compared with $2.5 billion today, according to a new Juniper Research report that pointed to a wide array of new streaming and downloading services in the pipeline. MediaPost Communications/OnlineMediaDaily (5/26)
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Filed under: GAMING | Tags: Console Platforms, Games, New York, Nintendo, Nintendo America, Reggie Fils-Aime, Video Games, Wii
Nintendo has some tricks up its sleeve, but adding voice services to its consoles is not among them, an executive said. “Telephony is not in our wheelhouse. It’s not something I anticipate us getting into,” said Reggie Fils-Aime, the head of Nintendo of America. But he added that Nintendo was considering adding Wi-Fi connectivity to its handheld games. The New York Times/Bits blog (5/26) , MocoNews.net (5/27)
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Filed under: TECHNOLOGY | Tags: Apple, Hardware, iPod, LG Electronics, Microsoft, Portable media player, Television, Zune
Microsoft this fall will debut a new version of its Zune portable media player, the software giant’s competitive answer to Apple‘s iPod. The new Zune will feature HD video, Wi-Fi and touch-screen technology. Reuters (5/26) , Digital Trends (5/27)
About a half hour ago, Amazon opened up a new feature on the Kindle: the ability to read your notes and highlights on the Web. Readers have always been able to make notes and highlight text on the Kindle itself. Now those annotations appear on your account at http://kindle.amazon.com <!–
class=”snap_preview_icon”> . Once you sign in, you can see all your notes. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/05/26/kindle-notes-and-highlights-now-accessible-on-the-web 5/26)
Disney’s ESPN and Walt Disney World resort are building a new research facility at the Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando, Fla. Dubbed the “ESPN Innovation Lab,” the operation will allow the cable-sports network to test new applications, such as virtual graphics. (Iwantmedia 5/27, http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-disney-espn-sports-052609,0,5846696.story 5/26)
LG Electronics has started shipping its new LH55 LCD TV line, which was first introduced at the International CES. The line — which comes in 37-, 42-, 47- and 55-inch varieties — features the company’s TruMotion backlight technology, which is designed to improve picture response time and reduce blurring. TWICE (5/26)
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Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE
Ratings are dropping for CNN’s "Anderson Cooper 360." The show is down nearly 30% in the coveted 25-to-54 demographic, averaging less than 250,000 viewers. Insiders say top brass is questioning the strategy of turning CNN into "the Anderson Cooper network." (Iwantmedia 5/26, http://www.nypost.com/seven/05252009/gossip/pagesix/sinking_anchors_anderson_cooper_and_rola_170905.htm 5/25)
Last Thursday’s original series premiere Southern Belles: Louisville on SOAPnet charmed 73,000 W18-34, 205,000 W18-49 and 459,000 total viewers into watching at 10p. This series launch ranks as the #2 most-watched series premiere for SOAPnet in all three demos, behind the opening episode of General Hospital: Night Shift on July 12, 2007. (Cynopsis 5/26)
On Sunday, worldwide singing sensation, Susan Boyle advanced to the final round of Britain’s Got Talent television show. The 48-year old Scottish spinster who wowed audiences in the UK and via YouTube last month during her initial performance on the talent competition show sang "Memory" from the musical Cats, defeating seven other acts during the semi-finals. Next Saturday, Boyle will compete against three other acts during the final round with the winner of Britain’s Got Talent receiving a cash prize of 100,000 pounds and the chance to perform at the Royal Variety Show. (Cynopsis 5/26)
Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Twitter is partnering with Reveille Productions and Brillstein Entertainment to develop an unscripted television series described as "putting ordinary people on the trail of celebrities." Also: Twitter "might have the power to transform television," says co-founder Biz Stone. (Iwantmedia 5/26, http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118004136.html?categoryid=14&cs=1 5/25)
When the WSJ broke the story
about Russian tech investment group Digital Sky Technologies looking to buy a stake in Facebook for $200 million – a deal that would value the private company at $10 billion in preferred stock – there was still some uncertainty about whether the firm was gunning for a seat on Facebook’s board of directors as part of the investment offer, of if they’d be happy with just purchasing equity. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/05/25/russian-investment-firm-poking-facebook-for-board-seat/ 5/25)
Microsoft is set to launch a $80 million multimedia advertising campaign for Bing, the new search engine it hopes will help it grab a bigger slice of the online ad market. Also: Bing, which officially launches in June, will face the challenge of overcoming Google’s powerful brand. (Iwantmedia 5/26, http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=136847 5/25)
Google sees social networking sites as growing competitors in search, admits company product manager Ken Tokusei. Internet searchers are increasingly looking for something personal, and social networks present information as if it came from "someone you know." (Iwantmedia 5/26, http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090525/ap_on_hi_te/as_japan_google 5/25)
Cablevision plans to charge for online access to Newsday beginning this summer. MediaNews has decided to start charging for the online versions of its print editions. Hearst is using its SeattlePI.com to test whether online fees could help save its 15 remaining dailies. (Iwantmedia 5/26, http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090526/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_online_newspaper_fees 5/25)
Filed under: WIRELESS
Move over, Nokia N97
. Your bigger, badder, unannounced brother is on the way – and one of our sources at Nokia has just clued us in on all of the details, from worldwide launch targets to hardware specs. (http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2009/05/24/exclusive-everything-there-is-to-know-about-nokias-next-tablet/ 5/24)
Nokia’s very own centralized application marketplace, dubbed Ovi Store, today officially made its way to the public arena![clip_image001[1]](http://dailymarauder.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/clip_image00111.gif?w=1&h=1 "clip_image001[1]"){kind=small}
as expected. It will have to stand up and fight against other notable mobile content stores such as Apple’s App Store, Windows Mobile Marketplace and BlackBerry’s Application Center. Nokia is rolling out the app and content store globally (with credit card support), but current reserves operator billing for customers in Australia, Singapore, Spain, Italy, Germany, Russia, Ireland and the UK. Additional countries and languages will be added throughout the year, with AT&T planning to make Ovi Store available to its customers in the U.S. later this year. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/05/26/nokias-ovi-store-opens-for-business-10-must-downloads-to-kick-off/ 5/26)
The iPhone is quickly becoming the platform of choice for nostalgia-inspiring classic games, with releases like Myst![clip_image001[2]](http://dailymarauder.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/clip_image00121.gif?w=1&h=1 "clip_image001[2]"){kind=small}
and Wolfenstein![clip_image001[3]](http://dailymarauder.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/clip_image00131.gif?w=1&h=1 "clip_image001[3]"){kind=small}
now landing on a regular basis. The latest addition, and the one that may strike closest to home for those console gamers of the early 90’s, is Sonic The Hedgehog. The game is now available for a reasonable $5.99, and you can download it here![clip_image001[4]](http://dailymarauder.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/clip_image00141.gif?w=1&h=1 "clip_image001[4]"){kind=small}
. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/05/24/sonic-the-hedgehog-races-onto-the-iphone-but-do-its-fake-buttons-slow-him-down/ 5/24)
If you’ve got an iPhone, there’s a good chance you’ve got Tapulous’s![clip_image001[5]](http://dailymarauder.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/clip_image00151.gif?w=1&h=1 "clip_image001[5]"){kind=small}
Tap Tap Revenge installed – the game is ranked as the iPhone’s most popular game of all time. Tonight the latest update to the game lands, adding a handful of new features including themes, “battles”, and a new song import feature. The features are part of the latest update of Tap Tap Revenge 2, which you can download for free here![clip_image001[6]](http://dailymarauder.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/clip_image00161.gif?w=1&h=1 "clip_image001[6]"){kind=small}
(if you already have the app you can just update it). (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/05/22/tap-tap-revenge-25-hits-tonight-takes-steps-to-consolidate-popularity/ 5/22)
Airlines are starting to equip their fleets with Wi-Fi systems, which could bring changes to in-flight entertainment. Movies and other entertainment programming could be packaged on the ground and piped to planes for viewing on passengers’ personal electronic devices. (Iwantmedia 5/26, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/26/business/26road.html 5/26)
Viacom’s MTV Networks is filing an $11.6 million lawsuit against Kajeet, a cell phone service for children, accusing it of failing to follow through on a licensing deal. Kajeet is charged with dropping MTV to enter a competing deal with Time Warner’s Cartoon Network. (Iwantmedia 5/26, http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=a1m9EpfuudI8 5/22)
With the Japanese market in a severe slump, cell phone manufacturers Panasonic and Sharp said they were looking overseas to regions that have yet to be oversaturated with high-end handsets. Panasonic indicated its preference for open-source platforms such as Android four years after abandoning foreign markets, while Sharp said it was eyeing entry to Brazil and may sell a phone that can pick up live TV signals. The Wall Street Journal (5/22) , The New York Times/VentureBeat (5/22)
