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DIGITAL MEDIA WIRE -- March 26, 2002
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Subscribe for free: http://www.digitalmediawire.com

o Verizon, EarthLink, Others Sue FCC Over High-Speed Cable Decision
o Report: Video-on-Demand Revenues to Reach $8.2 Billion by 2008
o Online TV Show Rebroadcaster ICraveTV Planning Re-Launch
o Dolby Announces Licensing Terms for MPEG-4 AAC Audio
> Digital Media Wire Panel Series: Interactive Television | L.A., S.F., NYC
o Briefly Noted: "Super Mario Sunshine," Muze UK - Microsoft, Buzztime
Entertainment - Liberate Technologies, AT&T, IBiquity Digital - Alpine,
Verity - MusicNet, Pioneer - recordable DVDs, NYTimes.com - WQXR-FM,
Tornado Group - Wagram, "Web Radio's Last Stand"
_____________________________________________

o Verizon, EarthLink, Others Sue FCC Over High-Speed Cable Decision

Washington -- Telecommunications firm Verizon, ISP EarthLink and a number
of consumer groups have filed suit against the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC), which earlier this month voted to permit cable operators
offering high-speed Internet via cable modems to deny access to rival
providers on their networks. The classification differentiates high-speed
cable Internet from DSL, where telephone companies providing the service
are required to open their networks to other companies wishing to provide
Internet access through their copper lines. "The FCC decision would permit
the cable television industry to transform the Internet into a closed
system with content control exercised by the cable operator, a tradition
of lousy customer service, and no choice of ISP," Andrew Jay Schwartzman,
president of the Media Access Project, which is also suing the FCC, told
Newsbytes.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/020325/n25267797_2.html
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/175471.html
http://www.mediaaccess.org/press/march25release.pdf
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Cable/News_Releases/2002/nrcb0201.html
_____________________________________________

o Report: Video-on-Demand Revenues to Reach $8.2 Billion by 2008

Boston -- Half of U.S. homes will be regular users of video-on-demand
(VOD) by 2008, spending $8.2 billion on such services and taking away from
revenue generated through home video and cable TV subscriptions, according
to a report released on Tuesday by Boston-based research firm Strategy
Analytics. Revenues are forecast to reach $287 million for 2002, but will
then rise rapidly to reach $3.5 billion by 2005 and $8.2 billion by 2008.
Revenue from subscription-based (VOD) is expected to account for
two-thirds of all revenues by 2008. Strategy Analytics estimates that more
than 8 million U.S. homes are currently passed by VOD-capable cable
network, a figure that will reach nearly 50 million by the end of 2003. Of
these homes, the firm estimates that currently about 2 million have
set-top boxes loaded with video-on-demand software, a number expected to
rise to 7.6 million by the end of 2002.
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/220852288&ticker=
http://www.strategyanalytics.com/press/PRNG002.htm
_____________________________________________

o Online TV Show Rebroadcaster ICraveTV Planning Re-Launch

Los Angeles -- ICraveTV, originally a Canadian site that offered U.S. TV
shows online, plans to re-launch on May 1, despite an earlier U.S. court
ruling that prompted the original site's shutdown. The new Los
Angeles-based site, not affiliated with the original Canadian version,
will add copyright protection from EnterVision.com that the new ICraveTV
owner, Herbert Becker, says will prevent users from saving or copying
programs viewed on ICraveTV. EnterVision.com, also owned by Becker,
currently offers a live TV feed from the BBC World network, with
right-click capabilities disabled. It is unclear whether the added
copyright protections will prevent broadcasters from suing the new
ICraveTV. The National Football League -- one of the plaintiffs in the
suit against the original ICraveTV -- told Wired News that the NFL will
"not permit the new venture to put games online."
http://www.icravetv.biz
http://www.entervision.com
http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,51303,00.html
_____________________________________________

o Dolby Announces Licensing Terms for MPEG-4 AAC Audio

San Francisco -- Audio technology developer Dolby Laboratories on Tuesday
announced the licensing terms for its MPEG-4 Advanced Audio Codec (AAC).
AAC is an alternative to MP3 that uses technology based on patents held by
AT&T, Dolby, Fraunhofer IIS-A, Sony and Nokia. The new technology adds
support for new streaming, wireless, and multimedia applications that were
not included in the previous MPEG-2 AAC license. Unlike the recently
announced licensing fees for MPEG-4 video, the audio license includes no
royalty payments or usage fees for content distributed in AAC format. The
Internet Streaming Media Alliance -- an industry group that includes
Apple, Cisco, IBM and Philips -- praised the new licensing scheme for its
stand on royalties and usage fees. "It is impractical to expect content
owners or distributors to adopt a format which involves use fees,
dramatically increasing their costs while also burdening them with
tracking usage," said Tom Jacobs, president of ISMA. The new MPEG-4 AAC
license terms and information on availability are available through a link
below.
http://www.aac-audio.com/press/aac_pr_0203_MPEG4.html
http://www.isma.tv
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STREAMING MEDIA WEST 2002: April 23-26, Los Angeles Convention Center

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today's business solutions, as the most cutting-edge, industry leading
companies showcase the latest in streaming and digital media advancements.

***SAVE $200 ON CONFERENCE PASS*** Listen, learn and network with a
distinguished faculty of over 150 speakers consisting of executives from
such companies as RealNetworks, Microsoft, Apple, DavidLynch.com, Sony
Pictures Digital Entertainment, Motorola, MSNBC and
PricewaterhouseCoopers.

For your FREE Exhibition pass or to save $200 on your full Conference pass
visit http://www.streamingmedia.com/west or call 888 301-8890

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_____________________________________________

o Briefly Noted:

(Redmond, Wash.) Nintendo announced that it will release the newest game
based on its popular "Mario" character on August 26. "Super Mario
Sunshine" is currently being developed for the company's GameCube video
game console. Nintendo published a game featuring Mario's sidekick Luigi
-- called "Luigi's Mansion" -- for the GameCube's release last November.
http://www.nintendo.com

(London) Muze UK, a provider of informational databases on music, movies,
books and video games, announced on Tuesday that Microsoft will integrate
Muze UK music data in its Windows Media Player and offer it on
WindowsMedia.com. The database contains artist and album information on
U.K. albums and global albums released in the U.K. Muze UK is a subsidiary
of New York-based Muze, Inc.
http://www.muze.com

(Carlsbad, Calif.) Buzztime Entertainment, a subsidiary of NTN
Communications that develops multiplayer games for interactive television,
announced on Tuesday that it has partnered with Liberate Technologies. The
Buzztime games channel has been integrated with Liberate's operating
system software for set-top boxes used to deliver interactive TV services.
The partnership will allow cable operators using Motorola's DCT2000
set-top box to offer Buzztime -- a trivia game channel currently offered
in 3,600 restaurants and sports bars in the U.S.
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/220850135&ticker=ntn
http://www.ntn.com/
http://www.liberate.com

(Basking Ridge, N.J.) AT&T announced on Tuesday that it has begun trials
of a new streaming service for its Internet-based content delivery
network, which will allow media and entertainment companies to deliver
pay-per-view and subscription-based services to Internet users.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020326/nytu015_1.html
http://www.attbusiness.com

(Columbia, Md.) IBiquity Digital, a developer of digital radio signal
technology, announced on Tuesday that car stereo manufacturer Alpine has
licensed its digital AM and FM broadcast technology and will develop
digital radio receivers that will become available in 2003. Maryland-based
IBiquity's technology allows traditional broadcasters to add a digital
signal alongside their analog signals, adding wireless text data such as
traffic, weather and artist information.
http://www.ibiquity.com/news/news_alpine%20license.html
http://www.alpine-usa.com

(Sunnyvale, Calif.) Verity, a provider of portal infrastructure software,
announced on Tuesday that digital music subscription service provider
MusicNet will offer Verity's search engine software to its distribution
partners. MusicNet offers around 100,000 tracks from Warner Music Group,
EMI, Zomba and BMG. Sunnyvale-based Verity provides similar search
functions to Pressplay, the digital music subscription service joint
venture between Sony Music and Universal Music Group.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020326/sftu060_1.html
http://www.verity.com
http://www.musicnet.com

(Long Beach, Calif.) Consumer electronics firm Pioneer announced on
Tuesday that it will reduce the prices for its recordable DVD media, which
have a recording capacity of 4.7GB. A Pioneer DVD-R will now retail for
$4.99 while a DVD-RW will cost $9.99.
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/220852138&ticker=pio
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com

(New York) NYTimes.com said on Tuesday that it has added streaming audio
content from New York Times Company-owned WQXR-FM, the largest audience
classical music radio station in the U.S. NYTimes.com will provide a link
to its simulcast of WQXR's signal from its homepage and various other
sections on the website.
http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=NYT&script=410&layout=-6&item_id=272915
http://www.nytimes.com

(Marlow, England) Tornado Group, a developer of digital media distribution
services, said that it will provide French independent record label Wagram
with hosting and distribution services for its tracks on Virginmega.fr.
Initially, 1,000 tracks will be provided to the site and to U.K.-based
Tornado Group's distribution network.
http://www.tornadogroup.com/JSPpressroom/pressroom2.jsp?PPR_ID=222
http://www.wagram.fr

(San Francisco) Online magazine Salon.com on Tuesday reported ("Web
Radio's Last Stand") on how the recent Copyright Arbitration Royalty Panel
(CARP) ruling, which sets rates for how much webcasters have to pay
artists and record labels to stream their music online, will affect small
Internet radio station operators. The article profiles electonica music
webcaster SomaFM, which reaches 20,000 listeners daily and operates on a
donated monthly budget of $1,000.
http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2002/03/26/web_radio/index.html?x
______________________

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>DIGITAL MEDIA WIRE PANEL DISCUSSION SERIES:
"iTV: New Interactive Services Fuel Big Expectations
Slow Market Penetration Raises Questions: How Big is iTV Going to Be?"

Register by clicking on the links below to join leading executives and
professionals at our upcoming iTV breakfast panels in Los Angeles, San
Francisco and New York.

LA: http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=21549&Referrer_id=4074
SF: http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=21550&Referrer_id=4074
NYC: http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=21551&Referrer_id=4074

========================================================
LOS ANGELES: Tuesday, April 16 | Four Seasons Hotel | Beverly Hills
========================================================
Moderator: Ken Rutkowski, Founder and CEO, KenRadio.com
Stephen Condon, SVP and CMO, Intertainer
K.C. Hildreth, COO, GoldPocket Interactive
Steve Hoffman, CEO, Spiderdance
Mark Kapczynski, Senior Consultant, Media-Entertainment Solutions,
Microsoft
David Nathanson, Director of Broadband Strategy, Fox Cable Networks

Sponsored by: LARTA
For more information and to register for the Los Angeles event:
http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=21549&Referrer_id=4074

========================================================
SAN FRANCISCO: Wednesday, April 17 | City Club of San Francisco
========================================================
Moderator: Sean Badding, VP and Senior Analyst, The Carmel Group
Martijn Lopes Cardozo, VP of Product Management, GoldPocket Interactive
Bridget Steele, Program Manager, Microsoft TV
Bill Niemeyer, Founder, Centrimedia (former Director, Strategic Dev.,
Spiderdance)
Peter Schultz, Director of Business Development, Pop Program, Liberate

For more information and to register for the San Francisco event:
http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=21550&Referrer_id=4074

=========================================================
NEW YORK: Thursday, April 25 | Cornell Club of New York City
=========================================================
Moderator: Art Cohen, SVP, Advertising, ACTV
Patrick Donoghue, VP, Interactive Television, Cablevision
Gerard Kunkel, President, WorldGate
Christopher S. Lucas, VP & Exec. Producer, Digital Media Group, Showtime
Networks
Rod A. Nenner, Director, TV & Entertainment Solutions Group, AOL
Carla Sinatra, Vice President of Business Development, NBC
Todd Krieger, Senior Manager, Business Development, Microsoft TV

Sponsored by: WorldGate
For more information and to register for the New York event:
http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=21551&Referrer_id=4074

Sponsorships and Inquiries:
Ned Sherman at 323.464.0793 or esherman@digitalmediawire.com
Paul Sherman at psherman@digitalmediawire.com

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New England Tech Wire, a sister publication of Digital Media Wire, covers
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______________________

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Copyright 2002 Digital Media Wire