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April 14, 2004 -- About Us | Advertise | Events | Publications | Subscribe

Main Stories
o Calif. State Bills Limiting Violent Game Sales Defeated in Assembly  
 o Nokia Introduces Second-Generation N-Gage Mobile Phone Game Deck
o CEO of Game Publisher Take-Two Interactive Resigns
o Nokia, Hewlett-Packard Partner on "Virtual Radio" Cell Phone Service
o Report: 23% of U.S. Households Own Portable Digital Music Players
o President of Vivendi Universal Games Resigns
o Report: Streaming Audio, Video Delivery Nearly Doubles in Q1 2004
o Game Developer Bam Gets Exemption to Nasdaq Delisting
o Social Networking Site MySpace Signs Reality TV Development Deal


 > DMW Announcements: 
  --DMW Events
   Games & Mobile Forum - April 15 - 250+ Confirmed Attendees

 > Featured Advertisement:
 --Digital Media Law Report - Available Now - Volume 2 - February/March
 --PricewaterhouseCoopers' Entertainment and Media Outlook
 

o Briefly Noted: Infinium Labs - lawsuit, Comcast HospitalityONE, Eidos - "Hitman: Contracts," Imagination Entertainment - "Nick Trivia Challenge DVD," Nokia N-Gage - "Call of Duty," Here TV

 
> Job/Event/Marketplace Classifieds:
--Infrastructure Sales Executive
--Sr. Account Executives
--Financial Analyst/Data Guru
--Junior Contracts Administrator
--GuideStar.org Director, Business Development - New York, NY
--AvcomEast - App Performance and Lifecycle Solutions Seeks Sales People
--Account Director - Direct
--IT Perm and Contract Placement Services
--Advanced Selling for High Tech Professionals
--2nd Annual BNA Contracting and Homeland Security Forum -- May 10-12
--Reach Federal Contractors Selling Technologies for Homeland Security
--Stay Ahead Of The Competition With The Kiplinger California Letter
 
o Calif. State Bills Limiting Violent Game Sales Defeated in Assembly

Los Angeles -- Two California state bills that would have imposed regulations on the sales of violent video games to minors have been defeated in California's state Assembly, Reuters reported on Wednesday. Assemblyman Leland Yee, who sponsored the bills, told Reuters they will be voted on once again during the Assembly's next meeting, and if defeated at that time he plans reintroduce them in 2005. The bills would have changed the definition of violence in video games to include additional titles, and compelled retailers to stock "Mature"-rated games apart from other titles. Groups including the Entertainment Software Association and Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association deemed the proposed legislation unnecessary and imposing on free speech rights.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/040413/media_videogames_california_1.html
_____________________________________________

o Nokia Introduces Second-Generation N-Gage Mobile Phone Game Deck

Helsinki, Finland -- Cell phone maker Nokia on Wednesday introduced the second-generation edition of its N-Gage hybrid cell phone/handheld video game device, which addresses multiple design and functionality issues that resulted in poor sales of the original model. The new, smaller N-Gage QD features a microphone and speaker on the face of the device, rather than on the side, which made using the current version of the device as a phone quite awkward. The new model also makes swapping out game cartridges easier, without the need to remove the device's battery in the process. "We've gotten a lot of learning with the N-Gage over the last few months," Nada Vsina, general manager of entertainment media for Nokia's American division, told CNET News.com. "We took that feedback from consumers and really worked to address those concerns." Nokia plans to show the N-Gage QD at next month's Electronic Entertainment Expo, with launch plans for Europe, Asia and Africa in May and for the U.S. in late June, with an expected price tag of $199.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/040414/136013_1.html 
http://news.com.com/2100-1043-5191019.html 
http://www.n-gage.com/qd
____________________________________________

o CEO of Game Publisher Take-Two Interactive Resigns

New York -- Take-Two Interactive, a publisher of video games including the popular "Grand Theft Auto" franchise, announced on Wednesday the immediate departure of its CEO and director Jeffrey C. Lapin. The company said that Richard Roedel, who became company chairman on March 16, will become CEO on an interim basis, and named Paul Eibeler as president and Gary Lewis as chief operating officer. New York-based Take-Two also revised its quarterly sales and earnings projections downward, citing delayed launches of its "Red Dead Revolver" and "The Warriors" titles and weaker than expected sales of catalog titles.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/040414/145293_1.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/040414/tech_taketwo_outlook_2.html
http://www.take2games.com
____________________________________________

o Nokia, Hewlett-Packard Partner on "Virtual Radio" Cell Phone Service

Helsinki, Finland -- Cell phone maker Nokia announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with Hewlett-Packard to provide support for its "Virtual Radio" service, which allows users to listen to FM radio and retrieve corresponding artist information and make purchases with their cell phones. Under the agreement, Nokia will develop the Virtual Radio service while HP will market and sell the solution to mobile operators and FM radio stations worldwide, as well as provide installation, consulting and integration support. In addition to music stations, the service will allow data transmissions to accompany weather, traffic, talk radio and sports broadcasts.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/040414/145874_1.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/040414/telecoms_hp_nokia_1.html
____________________________________________

o Report: 23% of U.S. Households Own Portable Digital Music Players

Scottsdale, Ariz. -- Shipments of portable digital music players, such as Apple's iPod, reached 24 million units in 2003, representing sales of over $3 billion and growth rate of over 200% over the previous year, according to a report from Arizona-based market research firm In In-Stat/MDR. Currently, an estimated 23% of all U.S. households own a portable digital music player. The firm expects worldwide portable digital music player unit shipments to see a 16% compound annual growth rate for the period 2003-2008, with hard drive-based player shipments growing 100% and flash memory-based devices seeing decreased growth rates in 2004. "Online subscription music services have finally begun to attract significant traffic to their sites by offering portability and pricing models that are more attractive to consumers. However, while this is a step in the right direction, these services will still need to re-work their business models in order to attract consumers from peer-to-peer sites," said In-Stat/MDR analyst Cindy McCurley. In-Stat predicts that online music revenues -- from both sales of physical media and downloads -- will grow about 28% this year over 2003 totals.
http://www.instat.com/press.asp?Sku=IN0401167ME&ID=935
____________________________________________

o President of Vivendi Universal Games Resigns

Los Angeles -- Vivendi Universal Games, the video game publishing unit of the Franco-American media conglomerate, announced on Wednesday that its North American president and chief operating officer Luc Vanhal has resigned from the company, effective immediately. VU Games, whose development and publishing units include Blizzard Entertainment, Sierra Entertainment, Massive Entertainment and Fox Interactive, said that company CEO Bruce Hack will assume Vanhal's responsibilities in the interim until a replacement is named.
http://www.vugames.com
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o Report: Streaming Audio, Video Delivery Nearly Doubles in Q1 2004

Monterey, Calif. -- The amount of streaming audio and video content delivered on the Internet in the first quarter of 2004 is up 118% and 80%, respectively, over the figures reported during the same period last year, according to data from Monterey, Calif.-based AccuStream iMedia Research. The number of aggregate tuning hours for Internet radio is up 118% in 2004, while streaming video grew by 80% over first quarter 2003 levels. The top ten sites served an average of 523 million video streams in January and February, compared with 292 million in 2003. For Internet radio, tuning hours on the top ten sites in January and February averaged 137.5 million, compared to 63 million in 2003. AccuStream noted that streaming media destinations are publishing more ad-supported content in 2004, coinciding with a recovering ad market and move by some major rights holders to move assets out from behind subscription services.
http://www.accustreamresearch.com
____________________________________________

o Game Developer Bam Gets Exemption to Nasdaq Delisting

San Jose, Calif. -- Video game developer Bam Entertainment announced on Wednesday that it has received a temporary extension from being delisted from the Nasdaq, provided the company meets certain requirements by May 17. San Jose, Calif.-based Bam said it must file a report for the March quarter indicating it has completed its acquisitions of VIS Entertainment and SOE Development Limited, as well as a previously announced private placement of its stock. The transactions must result in the company being able to report a minimum of $18 million in stockholders' equity in order to maintain continued listing on the exchange.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040414/sfw065_1.html 
http://www.bam4fun.com
____________________________________________

o Social Networking Site MySpace Signs Reality TV Development Deal

Los Angeles -- Pipeline Entertainment, producer of reality TV shows including "Blind Date" and "Classmates," announced on Wednesday that it has signed an agreement with social networking site MySpace.com for the rights to create both reality-based and dramatic television formats based on the experiences of MySpace.com users. Los Angeles-based Pipeline did not announce a production schedule or affiliate partners for its project. A website called MySpaceTV will be created to link viewers of the TV show to the online network, where they may participate in challenges and affect the outcome of the stories on the show. "MySpace.com has all the right elements for successful television, including enormous reach, audience connectivity, an influential community and measurable traffic and impressions. But most important, it is a vast source of fascinating real-life experiences that make truly compelling storytelling," said Pipeline Entertainment president Matthew D. Papish.
http://www.myspace.com

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 > DMW Events:



2nd Annual
GAMES & MOBILE FORUM
 April 15, 2004  |  New York City
www.gamesandmobile.com

OVERVIEW

Games & Mobile Forum is 1-day executive forum focused on business and technology developments impacting games and mobile entertainment.  In 2003, leading executives from entertainment and technology companies including, Yahoo! Games, AOL Games, Atari,  Acclaim, Warner Bros. Online, AtomShockwave, CNET, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), The Endeavor Agency, Mythic Entertainment and Digital Bridges participated in a series of panels on topics, including "Mobile Games: The Coming Wireless Revolution", "Developing Games Based on Film, Television & Music Properties and Visa-Versa"", and "Advergames: Recent Developments & Opportunities".

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Greg Ballard - CEO, Sorrent
John Welch - Chair, IGDA Online Games SIG, VP, AtomShockwave

 

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS

Eric Albert - Business Development Manager, Gameloft
Jeff Anderson - President & CEO, Turbine Entertainment
 Matthew Bellows - VP, Mobile Entertainment, GameSpot
Gordon Bellamy - former Exec. Dir., Academy of Interactive Arts & Science
Stephanie Boyle, Head of Partner Relations, Ericsson Mobility World
Matt Bromberg - GM, AOL Games
Mike Cartabiano - President, Sennari Mobile
Greg Costikyan - Chief Creative Officer, Unplugged Inc.
Lee Crawford - Editor, IGDA Mobile Games whitepaper
Ron DiNicola - Partner, Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP
Michael Dowling - VP, Business Development, Nielsen Entertainment
Andrew Elliott - Head of Bus. Dev. & Strategies, Ent. & Media, Nokia Americas  
Mark Friedler - CEO, Gigex, Inc./GameDAILY LLC
Avi Greengart - Sr. Analyst, Wireless & Consumer Technology, Jupiter Research
Stewart Halpern - Managing Dir., Digital Ent. Research, RBC Capital Markets
 Minard Hamilton - SVP, Sales & Brand Partnerships, JAMDAT
 Todd Herman - Streaming Evangelist, MSNBC.com
Mark Jacobstein - President & COO, Digital Chocolate
Daniel James - Founder & CEO, Three Rings Design
Scott Jensen - VP, Bus. Development, Media & Entertainment, (M)forma Group
 Scott Johnson - President, MENT (Mobility Entertainment)
Garry Kitchen - President/CEO, Skyworks Technologies, Inc.
 Misha Lyalin - CEO, Reaxion Corp
Marcus Matthews - CEO, Blue Heat Games
Matt Railo - Partner, IP & Technology, Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP
Brian Robbins - Editor, IGDA Downloadable Games whitepaper

Jason Rubinstein - GM, Ubi.com, Ubisoft
Don Ryan - Studio Manager, Microsoft's Zone.com
Mika Salmi, CEO, AtomShockwave  
Dan Scherlis - CEO, Etherplay
Mike Skagerlind - SVP & GM, Nickelodeon Online
Alex St. John - CEO & Co-Founder, Wild Tangent
Jeff Tunnell - Founder & Chief Creative Officer, GarageGames
 Mike Vann - Vice President of Sales, YaYa Media
Joseph Varet - Vice President, Groove Alliance

Gabe Zichermann - VP, Strategy & Communications, Trymedia System

REGISTRATION
Registration: $ 395
Online :  http://kb.digitalmediawire.com/register.php?eventid=1060 
Phone: 323-822-0936

To submit speakers for the 2004 conferences, please send a bio and photo (optional) to Tinzar Than, VP, Marketing & Events, Digital Media Wire, Inc. at tinzar@digitalmediawire.com.

Past Events | Sponsorship Materials | Partners & Clients
 

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> Featured Advertisement: 

Digital Media Law Report
New Featured Section - Volume 2 - 2004

We are pleased to announce that we have added a "Featured Section" to Digital Media Law & Policy Report. We will use this section to provide in depth coverage of certain cases, events and policy developments each month.

This month's featured coverage includes reports on the transcript of Ned Sherman's interview of RIAA General Counsel Steven Marks at Digital Music Forum in New York City on March 1.  

 Subscriptions - Order
Volume 2 - February/March 2004 Report - 43 pages - Order

PricewaterhouseCoopers' Entertainment and Media Outlook

Purchase the book every entertainment and media executive must have. The PricewaterhouseCoopers' Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2003-2007 analyzes key trends and forecasts spending in the U.S. and Canada across 14 industry segments, including a Global Overview that forecasts spending and analyzes trends worldwide (also sold separately). More Information
 

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o Briefly Noted:

(Dallas) A former executive of Infinium Labs, a company developing a PC-based gaming console that will deliver games via a broadband connection, has sued Infinium and its officers for fraud and breach of contract. Former executive vice president Terry Nagy says Infinium used him and his knowledge of the video game industry, while promising him a big payoff in shares of company stock. Nagy is suing Florida-based Infinium, which has yet to release its product, for the value of the 110,000 shares promised to him for his work but never delivered. Infinium plans to publicly display its Phantom game console for the first time at next month's Electronic Entertainment Expo.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040414/daw024_1.html 
http://www.infiniumlabs.com 
http://www.phantom.net

(Philadelphia) Cable TV operator Comcast announced on Wednesday the launch of a broadband service for the hospitality industry. Comcast already provides video services for 650,000 hotel rooms, but will add the capacity to provide broadband Internet services in hotel rooms through Comcast HospitalityONE. The company will see competition from firms including LodgeNet, which currently provides broadband and interactive TV services in 950,000 hotel rooms.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040413/phtu028_1.html 
http://www.comcast.com

(San Francisco) U.K.-based game developer Eidos announced on Wednesday that its "Hitman: Contracts" title for PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC has gone gold, and will be available in North America beginning April 21. Developed by Denmark-based IO Interactive, the game is a sequel to the 3 million unit-selling "Hitman 2: Silent Assassin." Its release will be accompanied by a multi-million dollar marketing campaign including national TV and print ads.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040413/sftu093_1.html 
http://www.eidos.com 
http://www.ioi.dk

(Santa Monica, Calif.) Australian interactive entertainment publisher Imagination Entertainment on Wednesday released its "Nick Trivia Challenge DVD," a DVD-based game featuring characters from Nickelodeon children's TV properties. The trivia game incorporates clips from cartoons including "SpongeBob SquarePants," "Rugrats" and "Fairly OddParents."
http://www.imagination.com.au

(Helsinki, Finland) Cell phone maker Nokia said on Wednesday that game developer Activision will release a version of its "Call of Duty" title for the N-Gage hybrid cell phone/handheld video game in the fourth quarter of 2004.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/040414/136015_1.html 
http://www.n-gage.com 
http://www.callofduty.com

(Los Angeles) Here TV, a cable TV pay-per-view service targeting the gay and lesbian audience, announced on Wednesday that it will extend its service beyond the current offering of pay-per-view selections and launch a full 24/7 schedule of movies, new original series, classic films and other content, as well as a subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service. The 24/7 cable channel is slated to launch on October 1, while the SVOD programming will launch on June 1 for DirecTV and DISH Network subscribers, as well as on select cable TV systems.
http://www.heretv.com/news_herelaunch.html

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We seek an ambitious Dir, Bus. Development to market our products & services in the Northeast. Required: Excellent organizational & communication skills, 5+ years exp. in sales & marketing, BA degree or equiv. in Business or Marketing, proven record of achieving sales goals, proficiency in MS Office & ACT! (or similar CRM software). Work from a N.Y. City home office with frequent travel in the Northeast U.S. Send cover letter & resume to businessjobs@guidestar.org, fax 757-229-3482. Visit http://www.guidestar.org  EEO
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A major DM marketing consulting firm is searching for an Account Director with a history of agency services and strong knowledge of running ROI management. The right candidate will have team management, business development within a noted direct marketing agency and a history of making recommendations for CRM solutions to blue chip clients. Salary: $100k+ Send resumes info@market-search.net
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> 2nd Annual BNA Contracting and Homeland Security Forum -- May 10-12

Homeland security forum speakers from the Department of Homeland Security:
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