Top Stories
o Report: Electronic Arts to Cut at Least 200 Jobs
o Congress Sets 2009 Deadline for Digital TV Transition
o Sirius' Howard Stern Show Appears on File-Sharing Networks
o Survey: Expensive CDs, Bad Music to Blame for Music Industry Woes
o RIAA Sues Another 750 File-Swappers
o Former Music Trade Group Execs Launch Piracy Consulting Firm
o CBS First Network to Sell TV Show Episodes on Own Website
o Report: U.S. Bundled Services Revenue to Hit $119.5 Billion by 2010
o Digital Music Distributor Declines in Nasdaq Debut
o Scientific-Atlanta Shareholders Approve Acquisition by Cisco Systems
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Briefly Noted
o Real D Expands Digital 3D Cinema Roll-out Into Europe
o Karl Lagerfeld to Post Fashion Week Runway Show Podcast on iTunes
o First uWink Bistro Gaming Restaurant to Launch in Woodland Hills, Calif.
o NeoMedia Technologies Gets Patent on Camera Phone Bar Code Scanner
o Destiny Media Adds Mac Support to Promo Only MPE
o CNET News.com: The Smoking Gun Website Profile
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Redwood City, Calif. - Struggling with slow sales as gamers transition to a new generation of consoles, Electronic Arts, the large developer and publisher of video games, plans to lay off about 200 employees, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. The company, which employs roughly 6,500 workers, reportedly notified the affected employees on Wednesday, and could notify others in the coming weeks. Late last year, Microsoft introduced its new Xbox 360 console, and Sony is planning to release the PlayStation 3 later this year. "We're taking this transition as an opportunity to align our people, technology and investments against our strategic growth targets," Trudy Muller, an EA spokeswoman, told the Journal.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113884188367162715 (subscription required)
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ea2feb2,0,2858023.story
http://tinyurl.com/8pkas (CNET)
http://www.ea.com
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o Congress Sets 2009 Deadline for Digital TV Transition

Washington - A hard deadline of Feb. 17, 2009 has been set by Congress for the U.S. transition to digital TV broadcasting. The U.S. House voted 216-214 on Wednesday to approve the date, which was included in a budget reconstruction bill expected to be signed by President Bush. Under the plan, an identical version of which passed in the Senate before the holidays, $990 million will be allocated to a subsidy program that gives consumers without the means to purchase costly new digital TVs up to two $40 vouchers to pay for special converters for their analog sets. The transition to digital TV will free up the analog spectrum currently used by broadcasters for other uses, including emergency communications services and new wireless services. "We now have three years to prepare for the transition," said Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), chair of the House Commerce Committee. "That is more than enough time for manufacturers and retailers to move low-cost digital televisions and converter-boxes into the market, for the FCC to complete the channel allocation process, for broadcasters to finalize their digital facilities, and for government and industry to prepare consumers for the transition." Wireless developer Qualcomm applauded the bill's passage, indicating its MediaFLO unit is developing a nationwide mobile TV network that will utilize newly freed spectrum put up for sale at auction. The spectrum auction is expected to raise around $10 billion for the government.
http://joebarton.house.gov/News.asp?FormMode=Detail&ID=325
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060201/law133.html?.v=13
http://tinyurl.com/7tkzt (Reuters)
http://tinyurl.com/9hjpy (CNET)
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o Sirius' Howard Stern Show Appears on File-Sharing Networks

Los Angeles - The new version of shock jock Howard Stern's show on Sirius Satellite Radio, which costs $12.95 per month to hear as part of a Sirius subscription, has begun appearing on free file-sharing networks, The Los Angeles Times reported on Thursday. BayTSP, a file-sharing network monitoring firm, says it has found digital audio files of Stern's show on every major file-sharing network. "We don't condone the stealing of Howard's show, or any of the content on our more than 125 channels," Sirius spokesman Patrick Reilly told the Times. "We vigorously protect our intellectual property rights and we will actively prosecute those who attempt to steal it." Sirius has sent cease-and-desist letters to websites offering streamed broadcasts of Stern's show, and also informed the FCC of pirate radio stations that have cropped up to simulcast the satellite broadcasts.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-fi-free2feb02,1,370407.story
http://www.hearhoward.org
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o Survey: Expensive CDs, Bad Music to Blame for Music Industry Woes

Washington - While 80% of U.S. music listeners think free music downloading is stealing, 92% say they never do it, and only a third believe illegal downloading and copying of music is the cause of a decline in music sales over the last five years, according to an Ipsos Public Affairs survey conducted on behalf of the Associated Press and Rolling Stone. Seventy-four percent of those asked said that CDs are too expensive, and 58% said music in general is "getting worse." The view that the music industry is more to blame for its own woes than consumers was also reflected in the survey, when 63% attributed the decline in music sales over the past five years to competition from other media, a decline in new music quality, or because CDs are too expensive, compared with 33% who said the decline is due to people making illegal copies of music. The survey also found that 15% said they had paid to download a song from a paid service like iTunes, or downloaded a free promotional song, while 85% reported never having downloaded a song at all. The poll of 1,000 U.S. residents conducted Jan. 23-25 has a margin of error of plus or minus 3%.
http://www.ipsos-na.com/news/pressrelease.cfm?id=2963
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o RIAA Sues Another 750 File-Swappers

Washington - The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced on Thursday that it has filed "John Doe" lawsuits against another 750 alleged music file-swappers, looking to obtain their identities from Internet service providers for use in copyright infringement claims. The group said it also filed lawsuits against 112 individuals identified through John Doe actions in early January. "The illegal downloading of music is just as wrong as shoplifting from a local store. It's against the law, and breaking the law must carry consequences," said RIAA president Cary Sherman. "Prosecuting songlifting is integral to helping protect the ability of record companies to invest in the up-and-coming bands of tomorrow and level the playing field for legal online services." The RIAA has now filed over 14,000 lawsuits against music file-swappers.
http://www.riaa.com/news/newsletter/013106.asp ____________________________________________ 

o Former Music Trade Group Execs Launch Piracy Consulting Firm

Washington - Two former heads of music industry trade groups the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) on Thursday announced the launch of a consulting group, which will advise companies on piracy and licensing issues. Former RIAA head Hillary Rosen, who gained notoriety during the industry's efforts to shut down the free Napster file-sharing service, and former IFPI head Jay Berman have teamed with economist Barry Massarsky to form Berman/Rosen Global Strategies. "Over the years we each have advised a number of analysts on factors relating to piracy in the entertainment business," said Rosen. "One thing was always missing -- the ability to place a valuation on the costs of piracy on the multiples expected from any financial investment." The company said it will not officially lobby on behalf of clients, but can advise them on public policy issues. "Digital delivery and acquisition of entertainment is changing with lightening speed and so is the need to protect and promote the creative expressions that provide this entertainment," said Berman.
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=60368
http://tinyurl.com/cm92q (CNET)
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o CBS First Network to Sell TV Show Episodes on Own Website

Los Angeles - CBS has become the first network to sell downloadable episodes of its TV series on its own website, eliminating third-party distributors like Apple's iTunes Store and Google Video. "It's been our strategy to exploit content across as many platforms as possible," said CBS CEO Leslie Moonves. "This is not only a boon to fans of the show, who can now watch it at their leisure, but it also represents a great way to generate traffic for CBS.com while opening a whole new revenue stream for CBS." Episodes of shows including "CSI" and "Survivor" will be available for $1.99 after midnight on the night they air, and accessible for a 24-hour period after they are downloaded from CBS.com -- unlike on iTunes, where episode downloads do not expire.
http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-cbs2feb02,1,5854521.story
http://www.cbs.com
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o Report: U.S. Bundled Services Revenue to Hit $119.5 Billion by 2010

Dallas - U.S. annual revenue from bundled services -- where providers offer a combination of TV, high-speed Internet, and landline and wireless phone services -- are projected to reach $119.5 billion by 2010, according to a report from market research firm Parks Associates. Currently, 39% of U.S. broadband households subscribe to a bundled service, with the majority combining two services; by the end of 2010, the firm forecasts that 55% of broadband households will subscribe to combinations of three or four services. "Although bundled services are at an early stage, service providers are beginning to experience increased customer retention," said Parks Associates analyst Deepa Iyer. "Simply touting 'one bill' and bundled discounts will not realize the full potential of bundled services. Service providers need to integrate different service features in a seamless way and build 'experience-oriented' packages that fit the distinctive needs and lifestyles of various consumer segments."
http://tinyurl.com/bcxmq
http://www.parksassociates.com
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o Digital Music Distributor Declines in Nasdaq Debut

Sacramento, Calif. - Digital Music Group, Inc., a company that acquires digital rights to recordings, encodes them digitally and distributes them to online music stores, on Thursday made its initial public offering of shares on the Nasdaq. The company priced 3.9 million shares at $9.75 per share, an offer worth about $38 million. Shares were down as much as 14% on Thursday, before regaining some ground to close at $9.25. Founded in 2005, Sacramento, Calif.-based Digital Music Group has acquired rights to tracks from artists such as Fats Domino and Herman's Hermits, and digitized them for sale on iTunes, Napster and other similar services. The company will use the proceeds to fund expansion and for general corporate purposes.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060201/sfw121.html?.v=9
http://tinyurl.com/cqj2c (Reuters)
http://www.digitalmusicgroupinc.com
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o Scientific-Atlanta Shareholders Approve Acquisition by Cisco Systems

Atlanta - Scientific-Atlanta, a developer of digital content distribution equipment, said on Thursday that its shareholders have approved an acquisition of the company by Cisco Systems for $43 in cash per share, for a total of around $6.9 billion. The deal remains subject to approval by regulators in various jurisdictions outside the U.S., but is expected to close during the current quarter, the companies said. Cisco anticipates that the addition of Scientific-Atlanta will give it a stronger presence in the home entertainment market.
http://tinyurl.com/dasc8
http://www.scientificatlanta.com
http://www.cisco.com

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o Real D Expands Digital 3D Cinema Roll-out Into Europe

Los Angeles - Real D, a developer of digital 3D cinema delivery technology, announced on Thursday that it has expanded its roll-out to include several theaters in the U.K. and Germany. Real D systems will be installed in several Odeon and Vue theaters in Great Britain, and with German theater owners Cinema Theatre and Cinecitta Multiplexkino. The theaters will first present Disney's "Chicken Little" digitally animated feature in Real D Cinema format. Los Angeles-based Real D has now installed 102 of its systems worldwide, and intends to install than 1,000 by 2007.
http://tinyurl.com/7d5pl
http://www.reald.com
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o Karl Lagerfeld to Post Fashion Week Runway Show Podcast on iTunes
 
New York - Fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld said on Thursday that his runway show during New York Fashion Week will be captured in HD and made available as a video podcast from Apple's iTunes Store.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060202/nyth106.html?.v=37
http://www.karllagerfeld.com
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o First uWink Bistro Gaming Restaurant to Launch in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Los Angeles - uWink, a developer of interactive entertainment for bars and restaurants, announced on Thursday that its first uWink Bistro will open in the summer of 2006 in the Westfield Promenade in Woodland Hills, California. The restaurant's tables will feature touch screens that can be used to order food, as well as access games and media. Los Angeles-based uWink is headed by Nolan Bushnell, founder and former CEO of both Atari and entertainment restaurant chain Chuck E. Cheese.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060202/20060202005346.html?.v=1
http://www.uwink.com
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o NeoMedia Technologies Gets Patent on Camera Phone Bar Code Scanner

Ft. Myers, Fla. - NeoMedia Technologies, a developer of wireless services, has received a U.S. patent for its technology that covers the capture and processing of bar codes explicitly from camera cell phones. The patent describes NeoMedia's method of capturing the image of a bar code by the camera device on a web-enabled cell phone, and processing the bar code so as to deliver the appropriate URL -- or web-based information -- to the user's cell phone screen, the company said.
http://m1e.net/c?46068446-EchRSf3/EDTFY%401424011-WuAs5A/SbGYGw
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o Destiny Media Adds Mac Support to Promo Only MPE

Vancouver, B.C. - Destiny Media Technologies on Thursday announced the release of a Mac version of its software used to securely distribute new singles to radio stations. The Promo Only MPE system now also features support for iTunes and iPods, allowing users to export Promo Only MP3 files into iTunes. The system also now supports linear HD files, distributed to satellite and HD Radio broadcasters.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060202/sfth031.html?.v=42
http://www.promoonly.com
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o CNET News.com: The Smoking Gun Website Profile

San Francisco - CNET News.com on Thursday profiled The Smoking Gun, a website that publishes court documents, mug shots and similar information that was the original source of evidence indicating significant portions of author James Frey's memoir "A Million Little Pieces" were fabricated. Launched in 1997 and acquired by Court TV in 2001, the site has also seen traffic skyrocket when it published documents during the Michael Jackson trial, and when it posted details of a sexual harassment lawsuit against Fox News personality Bill O'Reilly.
http://tinyurl.com/dxto5 (CNET)
http://www.thesmokinggun.com

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