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Past Editions

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DIGITAL MEDIA WIRE -- January 25, 2002
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To Subscribe For Free: http://www.digitalmediawire.com

o Senate Hearings on Merger Approvals by FTC, DOJ Raise More Questions
o Reuters: Vivendi to Acquire Ringtones Provider YourMobile.com
o Wireless Games Firms Codeonline and Springtoys Agree to Merger
o Sony Details Launch for PlayStation 2 in Korea
o Briefly Noted: Orange Sverige - 3G music service, M-Wise - Spanish
mobiles, Loudeye patent, Vivendi Universal Publishing - "Butt-Ugly
Martians," Wink Communications - NHL Buffalo Sabres, The Adrenaline Vault
- Gigex, KPE, Online games sites - profits, Web art costs, Large firms -
online ads, Nintendo's "Pikmin"
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o Senate Hearings on Merger Approvals by FTC, DOJ Raise More Questions

Washington, D.C. -- A Senate hearing on a proposed rearrangement of the
process that determines whether the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or U.S.
Department of Justice (DOJ) conducts antitrust reviews of mergers between
entertainment and media companies did not result in approval of the
changes, Newsbytes reported. The FTC and DOJ were set to announce the
changes last week, but cancelled the announcement after Sen. Fritz
Hollings (D-S.C.) complained that affected Senate committees were not
informed. A spokesman for Hollings told Newsbytes that the FTC and DOJ did
not provide sufficient explanation at a hearing on Wednesday to support
the changes. "They had no statistical data to back up why they think the
FTC should cover one set of issue areas while DOJ should cover another,"
said Hollings spokesman Andy Davis. "It was all sort of anecdotal. It was
also obvious that they hadn't consulted with consumer groups at all about
this." No further hearings on the matter have yet been scheduled.
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/173940.html
_____________________________________________

o Reuters: Vivendi to Acquire Ringtones Provider YourMobile.com

Los Angeles -- Reuters reported on Friday that Vivendi Universal is soon
expected to announce its acquisition of YourMobile.com, a provider of
downloadable ringtones for cell phones based on popular song melodies.
Both companies refused to comment on the transaction for the article.
Santa Monica-based YourMobile.com is a subsidiary of Premium Wireless
Services, and has licenses from a number of major music publishers to
create ringtones based on their artists' songs.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20020125/tc/media_vivendiuniversal_dc_3.html
http://www.yourmobile.com
http://www.pws.ws 
_____________________________________________

o Wireless Games Firms Codeonline and Springtoys Agree to Merger

Helsinki, Finland -- Codeonline, a developer of wireless entertainment,
announced on Friday that it will merge with Springtoys, a developer of
mobile entertainment and game technology. Financial terms of the all-stock
transaction were not disclosed. Codeonline CEO Maija Hamalainen will be
chief executive of the merged company, which will share both companies'
management teams. Finland-based Codeonline acquires rights to
entertainment properties such as board games and television shows and then
creates wireless games based on them. Springtoys, also based in Finland,
develops wireless content delivery services for WAP and i-mode, SMS, J2ME,
SymbianOS and PalmOS. "We have an existing international distribution
channel in place, complemented with a total of more than 30 signed
operator agreements. Through the merger, we are ideally positioned and
well able to satisfy a large share of the market demand and assume a
position as the global leader in the mobile entertainment space", said
Maija Hamalainen, CEO of Codeonline.
http://www.codeonline.com
http://www.springtoys.com
_____________________________________________

o Sony Details Launch for PlayStation 2 in Korea

Tokyo -- Sony announced that it will begin selling its PlayStation 2 video
game console in Korea on Feb. 22. The console will sell for $269 in Korea,
compared with a price tag of $260 in Japan and $299 in the U.S. Fourteen
games will be available for the PlayStation 2's Korean launch. Sony also
announced that NCSoft, a developer of online games including the
multiplayer title "Lineage," will distribute its "EverQuest" online
roleplaying game in Hong Kong, Korea and Taiwan.
http://news.com.com/2110-1040-822247.html?tag=cdshrt
http://www.ncsoft.co.kr/default_e.htm 
_____________________________________________

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Larta University Winter Workshops

Larta University, a service of the Los Angeles Regional Technology
Alliance, provides the entrepreneur with the "toolbox" you need to help
grow your company. Through a series of interactive workshops, our "guides"
help you turn your inspired ideas into sustainable advantage.

Session No. 8 - Pitching Your Company
Feb. 13 - Irvine | Feb. 14 - Santa Monica

For more information/to enroll:
http://www.larta.org/LartaU/Workshops.htm

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_____________________________________________

o Briefly Noted:

(Malmo, Sweden) Wireless network operator Orange Sverige has developed a
prototype music service for 3G wireless networks, which are being
developed worldwide and offer faster Internet connections for mobile
devices such as cell phones. The prototype service offers a personal
jukebox, music data including video, voice and text, playlist creation and
features like chat and streaming radio. Orange Sverige developed the
concept, architecture and design of the prototype, while IBM developed the
delivery technology. Major record label BMG Sweden consulted on the
project and is providing music content, while Compaq has supplied the
project with the hardware and consulting on 3G phones. Orange Sverige
plans to make the service available when 3G network services are launched
in Sweden.
http://www.orangecommunications.nu/content3/en/press_item.asp?type=1&id=116

(London) M-Wise, a developer of wireless entertainment delivery
technology, said on Friday that it will provide technology that will allow
three Spanish wireless network operators to add charges for entertainment
and other SMS-based content directly to their customers' bills.
London-based M-Wise has partnered with Telefonica's Moviles, Airtel and
Amena. Third parties such as Lycos, Uproar, Skyrock Radio, MonsterMob,
First Choice Holidays and various European football clubs will now be able
to offer their premium SMS services to subscribers on these wireless
networks.
http://www.m-wise.com
http://www.tsm.es

(Seattle) Loudeye Technologies, a provider of streaming song sample
delivery and other digital media services, announced that it has been
awarded a patent for its system for creating mass customized broadcasts
for remote devices to generate individual playlists and target
advertisements. The technology is focused on the delivery of music and
data to non-PC devices, such as handhelds and Internet-connected home
stereos. Seattle-based Loudeye hosts and delivers the streaming song
samples available at sites like MSN, AOL and CDNow.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020124/sfth075_1.html
http://www.loudeye.com

(New York) Vivendi Universal Publishing said on Friday that it has signed
a multi-year licensing agreement to create video games based on "Butt-Ugly
Martians," a 3-D animated cartoon that was created in the U.K. and
recently began airing on cable TV network Nickelodeon in the U.S. Game
developer Knowledge Adventure will design games based on the program for
PC, consoles, wireless and the Internet that will be released in the fall
of 2002.
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/220250082&ticker=
http://www.vivendiuniversalpublishing.com/english_version/
http://www.knowledgeadventure.com
http://www.buttuglymartians.com

(Buffalo, N.Y.) National Hockey League franchise team the Buffalo Sabres
have launched an interactive broadcast on Adelphia Digital Cable in the
Buffalo area, that utilizes technology developed by Alameda, Calif.-based
interactive TV firm Wink Communications. The service will enable viewers
equipped with a Wink-enabled digital set-top box to view real-time game
statistics and player biographies, order tickets and purchase merchandise
using a TV remote control.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020124/sfth098_1.html
http://www.wink.com

(San Francisco) Online games site The Adrenaline Vault said on Friday that
it has partnered with Gigex, a provider of promotional as well as hosting
and delivery services for software downloads. Under the terms, Adrenaline
Vault will post San Francisco-based Gigex's Top 20 list of popular video
game trailers for download, in addition to its Top 50 list of downloadable
video game demos.
http://www.gigex.com
http://www.adrenalinevault.com

(New York) KPE, an interactive marketing and communications firm,
announced on Friday the appointment of Kevin Labick as its new CEO. Labick
joined New York-based KPE from Mobilocity, a mobile commerce strategy
firm, and also founded Internet strategy and development firm Mercury
Seven. KPE clients include Sony Corporation of America, Hasbro Interactive
and Variety.com.
http://www.kpe.com

(San Francisco) CNET reported on Friday on the efforts of sites that
provide online games to turn a profit. Research firm IDC predicts that
total U.S. revenue from online gaming will grow from $210 million last
year to $1.8 billion in 2005. The article compares advertising-supported
games sites with online roleplaying games that charge subscription fees
and sponsorship-supported games that ask celebrities or entertainment
properties to pay for their inclusion in a game.
http://news.com.com/2100-1040-823258.html

(San Francisco) Wired News ran a feature story on Friday that explores how
image and video-heavy art installations on the Web are finding innovative
ways to help pay for the cost of hosting their works on the Internet.
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,49891,00.html

(San Francisco) CNET on Friday reported on how big-name companies are
beginning to increase the amount of online ads allotted in their
advertising budgets. Companies including Frito-Lay, Wendy's and the
National Basketball Association have recently announced large commitments
to online advertising. "Traditional marketers are finally realizing how to
use the Internet and see how it fits into their sales strategy," Gartner
G2 analyst Denise Garcia told CNET.
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-822569.html

(New York) The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday on Nintendo's gamble
on "Pikmin," a new game created for its GameCube console that is void of
the gore and violence present in the majority of today's top-selling video
games. The game was created by legendary Nintendo developer Shigeru
Miyamoto, who is also responsible for successful, family-friendly Nintendo
characters like Mario, Zelda and Donkey Kong.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/693857.asp?0dm=C13ST
http://www.nintendo.com/games/gamepage/gamepage_main.jsp?game_id=588
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Copyright 2002 Digital Media Wire