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DIGITAL MEDIA WIRE -- March 25, 2003
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o Vivendi Universal Secures $3.8 Billion Financing Package
o Premium Multimedia Content Distributor Synacor Raises $6.5 Million
o Bertelsmann Profits Fall 25% For 2002
o Madonna Selling $1.49 Unrestricted MP3 Download of New Anti-War Single
o Game Developer Bam Entertainment CEO Resigns; Shares Delisted from Nasdaq
o MusicMatch Launches On-Demand Music Service for Canadian Market
o Reports: European Broadband Will Boom By 2006
> DMW Publications: February Law and Policy Report
> Featured Section: HP Workstation for a PC Price
o Briefly Noted: "The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker," TNN - GoldPocket
Interactive, Panasonic Mobile Communications, Chaoticom - MMO2, Arush
Entertainment - "Devastation," Sony Computer Entertainment America -
"Primal," Blizzard Entertainment - "The Lost Vikings," Sorrent -
FoxSports.com, EverQuest Fan Faire, InterVideo - Sasem, Washington state -
video game legislation
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> Events: Games & Mobile Forum: April 28 | NYC
> Marketplace: Entertainment & Corporate Legal Services, Game Industry
Report, iTV Chronicle, Interest-Based Navigation
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o Vivendi Universal Secures $3.8 Billion Financing Package
Paris -- French media conglomerate Vivendi Universal announced that it has
negotiated a 3.5-billion-euro ($3.8 billion) refinancing package. The
heavily indebted company took steps to extend the maturity of its existing
debt and diversify its financing sources, both for the parent company and
its subsidiary Vivendi Universal Entertainment. The company launched a
private offering to raise 1 billion euro ($1.066 billion) via seven-year,
high-yield notes and signed a commitment for a 2.5-billion-euro ($2.66
billion), three-year bank loan facility. Vivendi CEO Jean-Rene Fourtou
said the aim is to give the company enough flexibility to continue selling
its assets.
http://finance.vivendiuniversal.com/finance/news/00001233.cfm
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o Premium Multimedia Content Distributor Synacor Raises $6.5 Million
Buffalo, N.Y. -- Synacor, a provider of premium digital media content
delivery for Internet access providers, announced on Tuesday that it has
raised $6.5 million in its third round of venture capital financing.
Participating in the round were new investors Access Technology Capital,
Intel Capital and Rand Capital, and previous investors Walden
International Investment Group and Crystal Venture Capital. New York-based
Synacor provides ISPs, telcos and other access providers with
subscription-based content including Fox Sports videos and online games,
content from Walt Disney Internet Group and CinemaNow video-on-demand
services. The company said Susquehanna Communications and FairPoint
Communications will soon launch its subscription services for their
customers. Synacor will use the new funding to continue the strategic
expansion of its customer base to larger service providers.
http://www.synacor.com/press/releases.php?id=108
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o Bertelsmann Profits Fall 25% For 2002
Guetersloh, Germany -- The second largest media group in Europe,
Bertelsmann, announced on Tuesday that the company's profits fell 25
percent last year, due mostly to declining sales and a write off for the
purchase of Zomba Music Group. Net income fell to 928 million euro ($995
million), while sales dropped 3.5 percent to 18.3 billion euro ($19.5
billion), the company said. Bertelsmann has been selling assets and
closing units in a bid to reduce an enormous debt load amassed during the
tenure of former CEO Thomas Middelhoff, who engineered the company's
investment in Napster.
http://www.bertelsmann.com/news/channel/channel.cfm
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o Madonna Selling $1.49 Unrestricted MP3 Download of New Anti-War Single
Los Angeles -- Pop singer Madonna has posted an unrestricted MP3 of her
new anti-war single "American Life," for purchase and download from her
website and from a number of fan websites for $1.49. The move is an
unlikely one for Madonna, who up to this point has largely refused to
release digital versions of her songs, even onto legitimate services with
secured audio formats. Fans who pre-ordered the song were told that if it
happened to appear on file-sharing services before it was released, they
would be emailed the song ahead of its release date, and on Sunday
received the song before its planned release on Monday. Warner Bros
Records offered fan sites the opportunity to win prizes for webmasters who
promoted the single and sold the most downloads through their sites. A
Warner Music representative told CNET News.com that "thousands" of sites
signed on to be Web affiliates as a result of the Madonna download
promotion.
http://www.madonna.com/downloadsingle
http://news.com.com/2100-1025-993941.html?tag=fd_top
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o Game Developer Bam Entertainment CEO Resigns; Shares Delisted from Nasdaq
San Jose, Calif. -- Video game developer Bam Entertainment announced on
Tuesday that the Nasdaq has delisted its shares from its main exchange,
and that the stock will now trade on the Nasdaq SmallCap Market. The
company also announced that president and chief operating officer Bernard
Stolar is leaving the company to pursue other opportunities. Bam CEO Ray
Musci will take over Stolar's duties, while Stolar will continue in a
consulting capacity to the company. San Jose, Calif.-based Bam
Entertainment has developed a number of games based on TV and film
properties, including Cartoon Network's "Powerpuff Girls" and "Dexter's
Laboratory," the films "Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever" and "Reign of Fire,"
and Disney's "Winnie the Pooh."
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030325/sftu016_1.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030325/sftu031_1.html
http://www.bam4fun.com
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o MusicMatch Launches On-Demand Music Service for Canadian Market
San Diego -- MusicMatch, a developer of digital music player software and
distributor of digital music subscription services, announced on Tuesday
the launch of its Artist On Demand subscription service in Canada. The
company secured licenses to deliver songs on the service from BMG Canada,
EMI Music Canada, Universal Music Canada, Warner Music Canada, and various
independent labels including Anthem Records, Aquarius Records and Nettwerk
Productions, as well as Quebec labels represented by the SOPROQ collection
agency. The company also secured an agreement with The Society of
Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada. The service, which
offers on-demand streaming of songs to subscribers' PCs, already claims
125,000 members in the U.S.
http://www.musicmatch.com
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o Reports: European Broadband Will Boom By 2006
London -- According to a recent study by the Yankee Group, the broadband
market in Europe will expand by 68 percent every year for the next five
years and be worth 17.8 billion euro ($19.02 billion) by 2006. The report
forecasts that there will be 33.1 million residential digital subscriber
line (DSL) users by the same year. A similar study conducted by custom
consulting firm Datamonitor predicts that a total of 41million households
in Europe will be connected with high-speed Internet services by 2006.
Broadband penetration in Europe currently stands at around 10 million
users.
http://www.yankeegroup.com/
http://www.datamonitor.com/~5fce0152d6da4d58afe4de2671438570~/all/home/ind
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DMW Publications: February Law & Policy Report
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==================
FEATURED SECTION
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Featured Section posting at:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/featuredpostingpage.htm
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Briefly Noted:
(Redmond, Wash.) Nintendo on Tuesday released its anticipated "The Legend
of Zelda: The Wind Waker" title for its GameCube video game console. The
game, a sequel in the 36 million game-selling franchise and the first
title for the GameCube, has already sold 600,000 copies through a
pre-order program.
http://www.zelda.com
(New York) Cable TV network TNN, part of Viacom's MTV Networks, announced
on Tuesday that it partnered with Los Angeles-based GoldPocket Interactive
to launch "iTrek Live," a month-long, two-way interactive TV component for
its program "Star Trek: The Next Generation." The interactive programming
includes extra program content, chat, live opinion polls and trivia where
viewers can compete against each other on their set-top boxes and
Internet-connected computers.
http://www.goldpocket.com
http://www.thenewtnn.com
(Tokyo) Panasonic Mobile Communications said on Tuesday it plans to launch
an Internet-enabled "i-mode" handset in Europe by the end of the year.
Panasonic Mobile is Japan's largest mobile phone maker. I-mode delivers
news and entertainment content to matchbox-sized color screens.
http://uk.biz.yahoo.com/030325/80/dw7rs.html
(Hampton Falls, N.H.) Chaoticom, a provider of wireless multimedia
delivery technology, announced that U.K. digital music distributor MMO2
will use its technology in a trial of digital music downloads to MMO2
subscribers in Germany and the U.K. The service, which uses a special
digital music player to receive and playback the downloads, is expected to
launch commercially later this year.
http://www.chaoticom.com
http://www.mmo2.com/docs/media/pr_030311.html
(Scottsdale, Az.) Video game publisher Arush Entertainment announced on
Tuesday the release of Florida-based game developer Digitalo Studios'
"Devastation" title for PC. The title utilizes Epic Games' Unreal Engine
technology and features both single and multiplayer capabilities.
http://www.arushgames.com
http://www.digitalo.com
http://www.devastationgame.com
(Foster City, Calif.) Sony Computer Entertainment America on Tuesday
shipped its "Primal" PlayStation 2-exclusive title to retailers. The game
was developed by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, Cambridge Studios,
creators of the popular "MediEvil" series, and will receive a
comprehensive print, broadcast and online marketing campaign from Sony.
http://www.primalgame.com
(Irvine, Calif.) Game developer Blizzard Entertainment, a division of
Vivendi Universal Games, announced on Tuesday the release of its "The Lost
Vikings" title for Nintendo Game Boy Advance. The game is the first
release from Irvine, Calif.-based Blizzard's recently formed Blizzard
Classic Arcade label; Blizzard first released "The Lost Vikings" as an
arcade game ten years ago.
http://www.blizzard.com
(San Mateo, Calif.) Wireless game publisher Sorrent on Tuesday launched
its "Fox Sports On-Court Live Basketball" for purchase and download for
owners of Java- and BREW-enabled cell phones. The game will be available
to customers of AT&T Wireless, Sprint PCS and a number of other U.S.
wireless network operators.
http://www.sorrent.com
http://www.foxsports.com
(San Diego) Sony Online Entertainment announced on Tuesday that it is
hosting an event in Las Vegas for fans of its "EverQuest" massively
multiplayer online game. The EverQuest Fan Faire will be held on March 29
for those of the 430,000 paying monthly subscribers to the game who wish
to gather to meet one another, and the game's developers.
http://everquest.station.sony.com/fanfaire/index.jsp
(Fremont, Calif.) InterVideo, a provider of DVD software and other digital
video products, said on Tuesday that its HD Decoder product will be
bundled with two products from Korea-based Sasem that allow HDTV signals
to be viewed on a PC. Sasem's HDTV PC products alsoinclude Fremont,
Calif.-based InterVideo's WinDVD player software, are now currently
available only for the Korean HDTV market.
http://www.intervideo.com
http://www.sasem.com/english/guest
(Seattle) The Seattle Post-Intelligencer recently reported on efforts
there by lawmakers to pass state legislation outlawing the sale of violent
video games to minors that depict violence toward law enforcement
officers. The legislation, House Bill 1009, would punish retailers who
were caught selling such games to minors with a $500 fine. The bill has
already passed of the Washington state House. One local rental store owner
questioned the proposed law. "But what about James Bond? Is he a law
enforcement officer? Would I be fined for renting this game out?" Tom Pain
told Seattle PI.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/113537_video21.shtml
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Digital Media Wire Presents...Games & Mobile Forum
April 2003, New York City
Focusing on games and mobile entertainment opportunities and business
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& Entertainment."
Door Tickets Price: $250. For Early Bird Specials, pre-register at:
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