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Past Editions

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DIGITAL MEDIA WIRE -- March 27, 2001
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To Subscribe For Free: http://www.digitalmediawire.com

o TiVo Denies Report of Privacy Violations from TV-Recording Device
o RealNetworks Gets Exclusive License for Major League Baseball Webcasts
o Napster Solicits Users for Support at Senate Hearing in D.C.
o Video Production Technology Firm GlobalStreams Raises $22 Million
o Judge Denies Class-Action Status to 1,000 Indie Labels Against MP3.com
o StarPolish, Tonos to Provide Resources to Artists on Napster
o iTV Instant Messaging Technology Firm Integra5 Raises $5 Million
> Digital Media Wire: NYC & DC Interactive Games Panels
o Briefly Noted: Wink Communications - DirecTV, Scour Exchange, NTT
DoCoMo, Muzak - theDial, Intertainer - Broadwing, Broadway.com -
Stagebill, "TV Changes Channels," WavePass, Reelplay - 20th Century Fox TV
Distribution, ITV - "Who Wants to be a Millionaire," Mootownmusic.com
_____________________________________________

> Job Postings: Acct. Executive, Acct. Manager, Acct. Supervisor,
BizDev Director

> Events/Services: "Digital Coast Venture Capital Summit,"
"2-Day Digital Filmmaking Workshops"

Full Job/Event descriptions listed below "Briefly Noted" section or at
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/postings.html

To Post a Job: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/jobs.html
To Post an Event: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/events.html
_____________________________________________

o TiVo Denies Report of Privacy Violations from TV-Recording Device

San Jose, Calif. -- TiVo, a manufacturer of personal video recorder
devices that let users digitally record TV programs and watch them later,
on Tuesday responded to claims made in a report by the non-profit Privacy
Foundation that the device reports back detailed viewing habits of its
owners to the company. The report states that TiVo "gathers enough
information to track individual users' home viewing habits while
apparently promising not to do so." In a statement, TiVo responded by
saying that while it does share aggregate information on its users'
viewing habits with "certain groups in the TV industry," the company "does
not provide information that can identify a particular viewer or
household, without express consent of that individual viewer."
http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2001-03-26-ebrief.htm
http://www.privacyfoundation.org/privacywatch/report.asp?id=62&action=0
http://www.tivo.com/privacy_response.html
_____________________________________________

o RealNetworks Gets Exclusive License for Major League Baseball Webcasts

Seattle -- Streaming media company RealNetworks announced on Tuesday that
it has signed a three-year, exclusive deal with MLB Advanced Media to
provide live audio webcasts of all major league baseball games, as well as
a searchable video highlight service. Under the terms, all audio and video
featuring MLB content will be streamed to users exclusively in Real
formats. The multi-language webcasts and searchable video will be
available on MLB.com for an annual subscription fee of $9.95, and at
Real.com as part of RealNetworks' GoldPass premium subscription service,
which costs $9.95 per month; users can also pay $4.95 per month solely for
the MLB content. The game webcasts include synchronized game stats and
pitch-by-pitch animations and will launch in April; Seattle-based
RealNetworks said the video highlight service -- which will give users the
ability to search for and create customizable video highlights of daily
game coverage -- is scheduled to launch in May. The company has also made
a deal with NBA.com to provide audio webcasts and video coverage of
professional basketball games.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010327/sftu061.html
http://www.real.com
http://www.mlb.com
_____________________________________________

o Napster Solicits Users for Support at Senate Hearing in D.C.

Redwood City, Calif. -- In anticipation of the Senate Judiciary
Committee's April 3 hearing on digital copyrights, Napster has petitioned
its users to go to Washington, D.C. for the hearing and voice their
support for the music file-sharing service. The company is holding a
"teach-in" hosted by Napster founder Shawn Fanning at Catholic University
the night before the hearing, and is also organizing a free concert at a
local nightclub following the hearing for those who show up and support
Napster's cause. The PR stunt hopes to put Napster advocates in front of
the media gathered to cover the hearing before. Senate Judiciary Chairman
Orrin Hatch called for the April 3 hearing shortly after the Ninth Circuit
delivered its decision against Napster.
http://www.napster.com/speakout/ac/
_____________________________________________

o Video Production Technology Firm GlobalStreams Raises $22 Million

St. Louis, Mo. -- GlobalStreams, a provider of video production and
delivery services for broadcasters, announced that it has raised $22
million in its first round of venture capital financing. Highland Capital
Partners led the investment round; ComVentures, Gateway Associates and
several private investors also participated. The company recently changed
its name to GlobalStreams from Play Streaming Media Group. Missouri-based
GlobalStreams' GlobeCaster technology is production studio software for
live or on-demand Internet broadcasting and distribution across other
media. The company is headed by former Ask Jeeves president Ted Briscoe.
http://www.globalstreams.com/about_us/pr/2001_03_26.html
_____________________________________________

o Judge Denies Class-Action Status to 1,000 Indie Labels Against MP3.com

San Diego -- Claiming that a motion was "too vague," U.S. District Judge
Margaret M. Morrow denied about 1,000 independent record labels
class-action status in their copyright infringement claims against
MP3.com, Bloomberg News reported. The judge said she will reconsider if a
revised bid is submitted within 45 days. Included in the group of indie
labels suing MP3.com is the Zomba Group, home to the Backstreet Boys and
Britney Spears. The copyright infringement claims are similar to claims
settled with the major labels by MP3.com stemming from its on-demand
My.MP3.com streaming music service; the company paid Universal Music Group
$53.4 million to resolve litigation in that case.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-5255304.html?tag=cdshrt
http://www.mp3.com
_____________________________________________

o StarPolish, Tonos to Provide Resources to Artists on Napster

Redwood City, Calif. -- Napster announced on Tuesday that it has partnered
with Tonos Entertainment and StarPolish to provide artists with resources
to help them collaborate with one another and market themselves online.
New York-based StarPolish will provide bi-weekly editorial content
detailing how a band can put their songs in MP3 format and get them on the
Napster service, as well as how to promote themselves using Napster.
StarPolish artists will also serve as Napster Featured Artists on the
program's launch page. Culver City-based Tonos is providing Napster with
its TC8 software, a home recording and mixing tool that lets musicians
collaborate in recording to their PCs with other musicians over the
Internet.
http://www.napster.com/pressroom/pr/010326.html
http://www.starpolish.com
http://www.tonos.com
_____________________________________________

o iTV Instant Messaging Technology Firm Integra5 Raises $5 Million

Denver, Colo. -- Integra5, a provider of instant messaging technology for
interactive television, announced on Tuesday that it has raised $5 million
in its second round of funding led by Benchmark Capital. Cap Ventures also
participated. Colorado-based Integra5's unified messaging technology
allows users to send and receive media-rich email, as well as voicemail,
faxes, pictures and video through their TVs without a keyboard. The
company will use the funding to increase staff, and for marketing and
product development.
http://www.integra5.com
_____________________________________________

> Digital Media Wire: NYC & DC Interactive Games Panels

New York City -- "Interactive Games on the Internet"
MODERATOR:
-Billy Pidgeon, Analyst, Jupiter Research

FEATURED SPEAKERS:
-Greg Costikyan, Founder & Chief Design Officer, Unplugged Games
-Rob Davis, Executive Producer, Spiderdance
-David Higley, Executive Director, Technology Investment Banking, UBS
Warburg LLC
-Frank Lantz, Sr. Game Designer, gameLab
-Joseph Varet, VP BizDev & Strategy, The Groove Alliance

Date: Wednesday, March 28th, 2001
For more information and to register:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/NYCgames.html

------------

Washington, D.C. -- "Interactive Games on the Internet"
FEATURED SPEAKERS:
-Phillip Campbell, Chief Creative Director, Quantic Dream
-Larry Cotter, CEO, Sandbox.com
-David Levine, CEO, Butterfly.net
-Doug Lowenstein, President, Interactive Digital Software Association
*Additional panelists TBA.

Date: Thursday, April 5th, 2001
For more information and to register:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/DCgames.html
_____________________________________________

o Briefly Noted:

(Alameda, Calif.) Interactive television developer Wink Communications
announced on Tuesday that it has partnered with Matsushita Television and
Network Systems Company. Under the agreement, Wink's enhanced television
technology will be integrated into Panasonic brand DirecTV digital
satellite receivers.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010327/sftu021.html
http://www.wink.com

(Hillsboro, Ore.) CenterSpan Communications, the company that bought the
assets of file-sharing exchange Scour, Inc., announced that it has
re-launched the popular music and video service in a beta version that is
available now. All files on the service will be free for beta testers,
with a paid service incorporating Microsoft's digital rights management
expected to launch in the second half of the year.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010326/0536.html
http://www.centerspan.com

(Tokyo) Japanese cellular network NTT DoCoMo said that so far, consumers
have not embraced its services offering streaming audio and video to cell
phones, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday. The company currently claims
1.8 million of its 35 million customers use the low-bandwidth version of
its multimedia service. NTT DoCoMo plans to launch a W-CDMA-based service
later this year, which is expected to offer higher speeds, upward of
384kbps.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200-5262576.html?tag=mn_hd
http://www.nttdocomo.com

(Seattle) Background music provider Muzak LLC said on Tuesday that it has
partnered with interactive streaming audio provider theDial to collaborate
in creating a service that offers music to the websites of retail and
hospitality companies. The service will offer music, audio advertising,
messaging and a graphically branded player created specifically for the
clients' websites.
http://www.thedial.com
http://www.muzak.com

(Culver City, Calif.) Broadband entertainment provider Intertainer
announced on Tuesday the launch of an on-demand entertainment service for
40,000 Broadwing DSL subscribers in Cincinnati, Ohio. The service will
offer new and previously released films, music videos, TV shows and
full-length concerts that will be sent to users embedded with digital
rights management from Microsoft's Windows Media 8. Culver City-based
Intertainer has secured content deals with providers including NBC,
Columbia Tri-Star, 20th Century Fox, Sony Music, Warner Music and EMI.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010327/latu026.html
http://www.intertainer.tv

(New York) Broadway.com, a division of Hollywood Media Group that provides
news and ticketing for performing arts events, announced on Tuesday that
it has partnered with Stagebill, a custom publisher for more than 28,000
performing arts events nationwide. Under the terms, New York-based
Broadway.com will create a Stagebill section on its site, while Stagebill
will promote Broadway.com across its monthly circulation of 1.4 million
program magazines. Broadway.com will also contribute editorial content to
selected editions of Stagebill's program magazines.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010327/fltu006.html
http://www.broadway.com

(San Francisco) CNET featured a special report on Tuesday ("TV Changes
Channels") exploring the internal difficulties and tension present between
old and new media executives in the network television industry that have
led to weak online ventures.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-201-5222678-0.html?tag=tp_pr

(Chandler, Ariz.) AmaTech USA, a developer of "smart-card" technology,
announced on Tuesday that it has developed a technology for online movie
ticket retailers that can eliminate users' having to stop at the box
office or an automated kiosk to pick up tickets purchased online. The
WavePass includes a chip embedded into a credit card or keychain fob that
can store information on tickets purchased from users' home computers.
Once at the theater, users then swipe the WavePass across a reader that
confirms their ticketing information.
http://www.justwaveit.com/ticketing2.html
http://www.amatech.com

(Los Angeles) Reelplay, a provider of online sales, marketing and
distribution services for film and TV companies, announced on Tuesday that
it has been hired by Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution to
create a private digital asset management network for the company. Los
Angeles-based Reelplay's Web-based software will allow Fox to manage their
active titles and streamline outbound sales and marketing processes.
http://www.reelplay.com/press_release.cfm?template_type=GENERIC&Press_Release_ID=6

(London) U.K.-based TV station ITV announced on Tuesday that it has
secured rights in Britain to produce an interactive television version of
"Who Wants to be a Millionaire." Viewers will be able to play against TV
contestants as well as other online opponents as the Internet game is
synchronized with the television broadcasts. ITV said it would implement
"e-mercials" -- or seven-second animated commercials that viewers must
watch before proceeding to subsequent levels -- into the interactive
version of the game.
http://itv.hosting.netcom.net.uk/images/docs/WWTBAMONLINEANDINTERACTIVE.doc http://www.itv.co.uk

(Nashville, Tenn.) Mootownmusic.com, an online retailer of western music
CDs and cassettes, announced on Tuesday that its service will launch on
April 1. Featured artists selling music on the site will include Ian
Tyson, Michael Martin Murphey and Riders In The Sky.
http://www.mootownmusic.com

===================================================
Job Postings:
===================================================
To Post Jobs: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/jobs.html

> Artisan, Account Executive - New York City

Creative services talent agency looking for self-motivated salespeople to
sell graphic arts and multimeda talent to adver, design, web and corp
clients in NY. Required: excellent telemarketing and presentation skills.
Sales/design background a must. Fun company, great earning potential. Send
resumes to adrienne@artisan-inc.com
http://www.etalentagency.com
______________________

> Account Manager - Great Plains/West Coast (California)

The Account Manager will develop and maintain a sales account plan in
conjunction with management goals and strategies. Qualified candidates
will have 4-5 years technology sales related experience or knowledge of
financial or business management. Strong communication abilities,
professional attitude, executive presence, and customer management skills
are required. Send resumes to ptw2@careerrewards.com
OR REFER A FRIEND AND EARN $1000
http://www.careerrewards.com/cr/search/jpd.jsp?jobId=2006
______________________

> Hill and Knowlton, Account Supervisor/Technology - Los Angeles

Acct. Supervisor for global PR firm needs 4+ years experience in an agency
with specialized knowledge of technology. Manage accounts and staff, serve
as client liasion, allocate work to staff, manage client budgets, expand
client business and establish communications strategies. Submit resume and
salary history to careers@hillandknowlton
http://www.hillandknowlton.com
______________________

> AGENCY.com, Business Development Director - San Francisco

This position is responsible for managing the overall relationship with
client contacts from a strategic & long-term planning perspective and
acts as the primary contact on strategic client issues. Must possess
5-10 years of successful, professional services sales, as well as a
strong understanding of eBusiness solutions. Send resumes to
sanfranciscojobs@agency.com

http://www.agency.com

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Event Postings:
===================================================
To Post Events: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/events.html

> Digital Coast Venture Capital Summit, March 28-29 - Los Angeles

The funding climate has changed dramatically during the past year. But
while the rules of raising capital have changed, investment hasn't ceased.
Entrepreneurs and senior management from high-growth companies at all
stages of development -- as well as executives from the financial industry
and from professional services firms -- should attend this event. To
register: http://www.venturecapitalsummit.com/register.asp
http://www.venturecapitalsummit.com
______________________

> Intensive 2-Day Digital Filmmaking Workshops 3/29-30, 4/21-22 - NYC

Fundamentals of Digital Filmmaking - intensive 2-days cover camera,
lighting, sound & editing. Hands-on - limited to ten participants.
Shooting for the web, TV, or cinema, we provide you the technical
knowledge necessary to realize your vision. Our work ranges from webcasts
to award-winning features. $395.00. (212) 226-2370 or register online.
For more information: jdq@dvnewyork.com
http://www.DvNewYork.com
______________________

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