archives

o Hollywood Studios Partner to Promote Deployment of Digital Cinema
o Analyst Firm Jupiter Media Metrix Warns of Cash Shortage
o CNET: Brilliant Digital to Tap Kazaa Bandwidth for Distributed Computing
o Game Developer Activision Acquires Shaba Games
o Nintendo May Cut Price of GameCube, If Sony Leads the Way
o Thomson Acquires 34% Stake in Audience Measurement Firm MediametrieCabSat
> Digital Media Wire Panel Series: Interactive Television | L.A., S.F., NYC
o Briefly Noted: X-traFun - GameBoy, Cingular Wireless - "Spider-Man,"
Teoma.com, MP3.com, Adelphia - TVG, Ebrary - regional library networks,
IGN.com - classified ads
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o Hollywood Studios Partner to Promote Deployment of Digital Cinema

Los Angeles -- Seven major Hollywood film studios on Tuesday announced the
formation of an entity that will promote the development and deployment of
digital cinema projection systems in theaters. Founding members of the
as-yet-unnamed group include Disney, Fox, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Paramount
Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal Studios and Warner Bros.
The group will focus on adopting technical standards that ensure competing
digital exhibition formats are open, compatible, and interoperable;
establishing benchmarks to ensure a uniformly high level of technical
performance and quality control; and considering strategies to spur
deployment of digital exhibition systems in movie theaters nationwide.
Currently, there are only 50 theaters in the world equipped to project
films digitally. "In order to bring the benefits of this technology to the
public on a large scale basis, there needs to be industry-wide standards
so that movie producers, exhibitors, and equipment manufacturers can be
confident that their products and services are interoperable and
compatible with the products and services of all industry participants,"
the studios said in a joint statement. The group is expected to announce a
management team in the next few months.
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/220920347&ticker=
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o Analyst Firm Jupiter Media Metrix Warns of Cash Shortage

New York -- Jupiter Media Metrix, a provider of audience measurement and
analyst services for Internet businesses, announced in financial filings
that it will run out of cash in the second quarter of 2001 if it is not
able to raise additional funds or successfully sell some of its assets.
"Unless we are able to dispose of certain of our business units and reduce
our losses, our ability to continue as a going concern is in doubt," the
company said in its annual report. The company also said it expects its
stock to be delisted from the Nasdaq in June, as it currently does not
meet the exchange's minimum requirements for listing and does not believe
it will regain such standing. New York-based Jupiter Research was heralded
for its insight into the Internet economy in the late 90's; the company
merged with audience measurement firm Media Metrix in 2000. Following the
company's recent failed $71.2 million merger with rival NetRatings, it
announced that it would have to cut back operations if it didn't obtain
additional financing.
http://biz.yahoo.com/e/020401/jmxi.html
http://www.msnbc.com/news/732595.asp?0dm=C1AKT
http://money.cnn.com/2002/03/04/techinvestor/tech_investor/index.htm
http://www.jmm.com
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o CNET: Brilliant Digital to Tap Kazaa Bandwidth for Distributed Computing

San Francisco -- Brilliant Digital, a Los Angeles-based provider of 3D
animation software, has partnered with the Dutch creators of the Kazaa
file-sharing software to sell off unused bandwidth of Kazaa users to third
parties for distributed computing projects, CNET reported. Software
designed for this purpose has been included in downloads of the Kazaa
program since February. The software, called Altnet, would create a
separate peer-to-peer network linked to Kazaa that would be able to use
millions of Kazaa users' computers to host and serve content and ads from
other companies, as well as harness them in tandem to help solve complex
computational tasks. Brilliant Digital said that Kazaa users will be
notified of Altnet, and asked whether or not they would like to
participate in exchange for items such as gift certificates or free
videos. "This will be an opt-in program...We're trying to create a secure
network based on end-user relationships," Brilliant Digital CEO Kevin
Bermeister told CNET.
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-873181.html
http://www.dotcomscoop.com/article.php?sid=290
http://www.brilliantdigital.com/
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o Game Developer Activision Acquires Shaba Games

Santa Monica, Calif. -- Video game developer and publisher Activision
announced on Tuesday that it has acquired software developer Shaba Games
in an all-stock transaction valued at around $7.4 million. Sausalito,
Calif.-based Shaba Games is responsible for titles including
"Pandemonium," "Grind Session" and "Soul Reaver: Legacy of Kain," and is
currently designing Activision's "Shaun Murray's Pro Wakeboarder" for the
PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube. "Shaba's multi-platform development
capabilities and expertise in action sports games makes it a tremendous
asset," said Larry Goldberg, Activision's executive vice president of
worldwide studios.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020402/latu066_1.html
http://www.shaba.com/
http://www.activision.com
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o Nintendo May Cut Price of GameCube, If Sony Leads the Way

Los Angeles -- A representative from Nintendo told Reuters on Monday that
the company may cut the price for its GameCube video game console to
counter any similar moves rumored from its rival Sony and that company's
PlayStation 2. "Sony's expected to make the first move, and then we'll see
where we stand," Nintendo vice president of marketing George Harrison told
Reuters. Despite denials from the company, numerous published reports
indicate that Sony is planning to reduce the price of its PlayStation 2
console yet this year. The Nintendo representative also said such price
cuts might compel Microsoft to lower the price of its Xbox console, but
would likely not have an effect on prices for Nintendo's games. Currently,
the Nintendo GameCube retails for $199, while Sony's PlayStation 2 and
Microsoft's Xbox both sell for $299.
http://news.com.com/2100-1040-873279.html
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o Thomson Acquires 34% Stake in Audience Measurement Firm MediametrieCabSat

Paris -- Thomson multimedia, a developer of video systems for the media
and entertainment industries, announced on Tuesday that it has made an
undisclosed equity investment in MediametrieCabSat, a developer of
automatic audience measurement technology for digital TV, interactive
services, radio, cinema, billboard, mobile telephony and streaming media.
The investment gives Thomson a 34 percent stake in the company.
Paris-based MediametrieCabSat will market and sell its technology to
audience rating agencies and their customers initially in France, followed
by other international markets.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020402/22365_1.html
http://www.mediametrie.fr/index.html
http://www.thomson-multimedia.com
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STREAMING MEDIA WEST 2002 - April 23-26, Los Angeles Convention Center

**EXHIBITION (FREE with pre-registration)*** Experience the tricks behind
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Or contact register@streamingmedia.com or 888 301-8890

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o Briefly Noted:

(Castle Rock, Colo.) X-traFun, a developer of wireless Internet
web-enabling technologies announced on Tuesday a product that enables
Nintendo's GameBoy handheld video game to access the Internet. The product
is a game cartridge compatible with GameBoy that uses "Bluetooth" wireless
technology to permit GameBoy users to send and receive email, chat, read
e-books and play interactive games. Colorado-based X-traFun said it hopes
to receive a favorable endorsement from Nintendo Corp. "This is like a
David and Goliath encounter," said X-traFun CEO Mark Kramer.
http://www.x-trafun.com

(Atlanta) Cingular Wireless on Tuesday launched a wireless marketing
campaign in association with Columbia Pictures for the studio's upcoming
"Spider-Man" film, based on the Marvel Comics superhero. The promotion
includes Spider-Man-themed ringtones, alerts, trivia games and limited
edition faceplates for Sony Ericsson T60 series phones. The wireless
campaign will be supported by TV, print and radio advertising, direct
mail, and in-store placement.
http://www.cingular.com/spidersense

(Emeryville, Calif.) Ask Jeeves Web Properties on Tuesday announced the
launch of Teoma.com, a search engine that aims to compete with Google for
users seeking the most accurate and relevant search results. Teoma.com
uses what it calls "subject-specific popularity" to rank search results,
where the best answer for a search is determined by asking experts within
a specific subject community about who they believe is the best resource
for that subject. Emeryville-based Ask Jeeves Web Properties said it will
operate Teoma.com as a standalone search engine.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020402/sftu042_1.html
http://www.teoma.com

(San Diego) MP3.com, a division of Vivendi Universal Net USA's Music and
Media Group that offers promotional opportunities for recording artists,
announced on Tuesday that it has added its 200,000th artist to its roster.
"We add over 200 artists a day and provide music fans with an expansive
catalog of over 1.3 million free artist tracks from the largest artist
community on the Internet," said Derrick Oien, president of Vivendi
Universal Net USA's Music and Media Group. Founded in 1998, San
Diego-based MP3.com went public in 1999 and was acquired by Vivendi
Universal in 2001 for $372 million.
http://www.mp3.com

(Los Angeles) Cable TV operator Adelphia announced on Tuesday the launch
of the TVG interactive horseracing network for its subscribers in the Los
Angeles area. The channel, operated by Gemstar-TV Guide International,
offers live Thoroughbred, harness and quarter horse racing on cable TV in
Kentucky, Maryland and California, as well as on the DISH satellite TV
network. Viewers can currently place bets online or by telephone; Adelphia
plans to soon launch interactive wagering via interactive TV remote
control.
http://www.adelphia.com
http://www.tvgnetwork.com

(Mountain View, Calif.) Ebrary, a provider of online information
distribution and retrieval services for libraries, announced on Tuesday
that it has partnered with five regional library networks to distribute
its service in the U.S. The partnerships with The Bibliographical Center
for Research, Michigan Library Consortium, PALINET, NELINET, Wisconsin
Library Services and OHIONET will make Mountain View-based Ebrary's
services available to a total of 6,000 new libraries.
http://www.ebrary.com

(San Francisco) Snowball, the online media company that operates gaming
site IGN.com, on Tuesday launched a classified ad service on its network
that will let video game enthusiasts buy, trade and sell video games,
consoles and accessories, as well as other merchandise. San
Francisco-based IGN.com claims eight million unique visitors a month and
45,000 paying subscribers to its subscription-based services.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020402/22235_1.html
http://www.ign.com
http://www.snowball.com
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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, 2002, 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, Principal, Media & Entertainment Solutions Group,
Microsoft
David Nathanson, VP of Broadband Strategy & Channel Development, 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, 2002, City Club of San Francisco
========================================================
Moderator: Sean Badding, VP and Senior Analyst, The Carmel Group
Martijn Lopes Cardozo, VP of Product Management, GoldPocket Interactive
Mitchell Linden, Head of Operations - North America, BBC Technology
Bill Niemeyer, Founder, Centrimedia (former Director, Strategic Dev.,
Spiderdance)
Peter Schultz, Director of Business Development, PopTV Program, Liberate
Bridget Steele, Business Development Manager, Microsoft TV

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, 2002, 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, America
Online
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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