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The Day Abu Dhabi Became an Unlikely Crossroad For Search Wars

Mar 10, 2010 11:47 PM

At the powerhouse Abu Dhabi Media Summit here at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, two of the biggest third-party search deals are being negotiated behind the scenes, we have learned. It just so happens that all the players involved were here for the last day or so: Google (NSDQ: GOOG)…

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Posted In: Search, Companies, AOL, Google, Microsoft, Bing, News Corp., MySpace, adms

The Mobile Stats That Keep Microsoft’s Execs Up At Night

Mar 10, 2010 8:01 PM

Here’s why Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) is launching a “completely new smartphone OS.” The latest smartphone platform market share figures were released today by comScore and Microsoft posted the steepest drop. The new Windows Phone 7 Series—due later this year—can’t come to market soon enough.

The numbers »

Posted In: Mobile, Research & Metrics, Metrics, Technologies / Formats, Operating Systems, Companies, Microsoft

Former RealNetwork’s CEO Rob Glaser Says For Now Apple Has Won

Mar 10, 2010 7:20 PM

In Rob Glaser’s first public appearance since stepping down as CEO of RealNetworks (NSDQ: RNWK), he implored that it is incumbent upon companies to work together in order for the wireless sector to continue its break-neck pace of innovation. Glaser did not hint at what he might do next, but…

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Posted In: Media & Publishing, Mobile, Companies, Apple, iPhone, Google, Android, Microsoft, RealNetworks, rob glaser

Requests May Signal That FTC Will Block Google’s AdMob Purchase

Mar 10, 2010 6:12 PM

Google’s proposed (and now delayed) acquisition of mobile ad network AdMob appears to be drawing even more regulatory scrutiny from the FTC. Bloomberg cites sources who say that regulators now want “sworn declarations” from Google (NSDQ: GOOG) competitors about the $750 million deal. The key sentence in the Bloomberg report…

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Posted In: Legal, Regulatory, Mobile, Money, M&A & Venture Capital, Mergers & Acquisitions, Companies, Google, admob, ftc

News Corp. Mulling Sale Of Struggling Mobile Content Properties

Mar 10, 2010 5:53 PM

News Corp. (NYSE: NWS) may shed the ailing Fox Mobile Group, including the Jamba and Jamster brands, to focus on digital properties, like MySpace, reports The Financial Times. A sale would not be a big surprise. After News Corp. acquired the company in two separate chunks from VeriSign (NSDQ: VRSN)…

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Posted In: Mobile, Companies, News Corp., Fox

Brizzly Parent Thing Labs Makes Two Acquisitions

Mar 10, 2010 4:00 PM

Two small—but noteworthy—acquisitions for Thing Labs, the company behind Facebook and Twitter web client Brizzly: Thing Labs has purchased Wikirank, a tool that let users visualize and compare the most popular topics on Wikipedia, and is also announcing the purchase of Twitter iPhone client Birdfeed. Thing Labs has added some…

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Posted In: Money, M&A & Venture Capital, Mergers & Acquisitions, Social Media, Companies, Facebook, Twitter, birdfeed, thing labs, wikirank

FCC Former Chairman Says Agency Lacks Control Over Handset Makers

Mar 10, 2010 3:26 PM

In an appearance this morning at a Seattle breakfast event, former FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, now a partner at Patton Boggs, was careful not to offer any jabs at the current administration. Instead, he focused on the current administration’s plans for rolling out a new national broadband plan, scheduled to…

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Posted In: Legal, Regulatory, FCC, Mobile, Technologies / Formats, 3G, 4G, Broadband, Companies, Verizon, kevin martin

@ Media Summit: The Medium Isn’t The Message; The Brand Is

Mar 10, 2010 2:12 PM

One of the favorite sports of most media conferences these days involves trotting out Wired editor Chris Anderson’s “freemium” idea—which is predicated on balancing free online and paid premium content—and kicking it to the ground. The topic served as a introduction to discussing the problems associated with paywalls and display…

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Posted In: Advertising, Media & Publishing, Magazines, Online News, TV, Cable & Telecom, Companies, Conde Nast, Disney, ABC, ESPN, Reuters, Time Warner, Time Inc., media summit

YouTube Brings Ads To Its Mobile Site

Mar 10, 2010 12:50 PM

Google (NSDQ: GOOG)—which has spent much of the last year talking about how it is making more money off of YouTube—is now beginning to monetize the mobile version of the video site. In a blog post, the company says banner ads—sold on a “full-day basis”—will soon appear on the home,…

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Posted In: Advertising, Money, Companies, Google, YouTube

Viral Video Hitmaker OK Go Does Just That; Parts Ways With EMI

Mar 10, 2010 12:15 PM

In another bit of EMI news, less vital to the company’s future than today’s latest change at the top, OK Go and Capitol Records have parted ways after nine years through mutual agreement. OK Go asked; EMI agreed. OK Go is best known for its viral videos—and was touted by…

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Posted In: Entertainment, Music, Social Media, Video, Companies, EMI, capitol records, ok go

First Look: Bing’s UK TV Ads Make A Monkey Out Of Google

Mar 10, 2010 10:51 AM

This is the TV ad Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) hopes will give its search engine a fighting chance against Google. Made by WPP’s JWT, the “Bing and Decide” campaign will run for three months on UK commercial TV and web.

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Posted In: Advertising, Search, Companies, Google, Microsoft, Bing

@ Media Summit: CNN’s Klein: Fox News Isn’t Our Biggest Competitor—Facebook is

Mar 10, 2010 8:47 AM

It’s the Bloomberg BusinessWeek Media Summit now, but the two-day conference is still at the McGraw-Hill (NYSE: MHP) Building. CNN President Jon Klein led off in a Q&A with Bloomberg BW Editor Josh Tyrangiel, talking about the magic—and often illusory—word “synergy.” Klein talked about the ties that the Time Inc.…

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Posted In: Media & Publishing, TV, Cable & Telecom, Companies, Time Warner, Time Inc., cnn, jon klein, josh tyrangiel, media summit

Pic of the Day, From Abu Dhabi Media Summit

Mar 10, 2010 8:07 AM

The biggest frenemies together: Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google (NSDQ: GOOG) & Maurice Levy of Publicis, one of the largest ad holding companies: We’ll have the full video of Schmidt’s speech and Q&A from here, later this afternoon. Meanwhile if you want to check out bits from his speech, chk…

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Posted In: Events, Companies, Google, Publicis, adms, eric schmidt, maurice levy

News Corp’s Miller: Paywalls And Free Model Can Co-Exist

Mar 10, 2010 6:35 AM

By Jane Martinson: Jonathan Miller, head of digital media at News Corporation (NYSE: NWS), said today that “dual revenue streams” are likely to co-exist as media organisations try ways of making money online. Miller claimed the media industry had to return to charging, whether through subscription or some other method.…

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Posted In: Companies, News Corp.

Industry Moves
EMI Music Swaps Chief For Chairman Allen As Trouble Looms

Mar 10, 2010 5:59 AM

In 2008, Terra Firma hired the guy who ran the company which makes Cillit Bang and Air Wick to turn EMI Music around. But now the record label finds itself seeking a reported £100 million to avoid breaching banking covenants. So now executive chairman Elio Leoni-Sceti is on his way…

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Posted In: Industry Moves, Entertainment, Music, Companies, EMI, charles allen, elio leoni-sceti

Why MySpace Co-Presidents Aren’t Worried About Growth

Mar 10, 2010 4:01 AM

MySpace (NYSE: NWS) pulled up the curtain a little this week, letting in some light on a makeover still very much in progress and marking a debut of sorts for Co-Presidents Mike Jones and Jason Hirschhorn as a team. By walking reporters through their road map, the two hope to…

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Posted In: Social Media, Community, Companies, News Corp., MySpace, jason hirschhorn, mike jones

Without Colbert, Stewart, Hulu Could Cede Some Ground To Viacom

Mar 9, 2010 7:15 PM

Barring a last-minute fix or change of strategy, at midnight Tuesday Hulu.com will switch from a co-host for online video of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report to a referral engine for the popular shows. Viacom (NYSE: VIA) execs like to call it a test but…

keep reading for chart of viewing trends »

Posted In: Media & Publishing, TV, Social Media, Video, Companies, Viacom, hulu, philippe dauman

Bingo! Microsoft’s Search Share Keeps Going Up

Mar 9, 2010 7:00 PM

Nine months since relaunching its search engine, Bing’s market share continues to inch up. It’s now at 11.5 percent, up from 8 percent prior to its remake, according to the latest comScore (NSDQ: SCOR) figures (via Business Insider). We’ve made a point of checking in each quarter, rather than monthly,…

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Posted In: Search, Companies, Google, Microsoft, Bing, Yahoo

Why Newspapers Are In So Much Trouble, According To Google’s Chief Economist

Mar 9, 2010 6:20 PM

Newspapers have blamed Google (NSDQ: GOOG) for their woes, and Google, in turn, has helped remind newspapers that they did a pretty good job of digging their own grave. The latest Googler to weigh in on the business is Chief Economist Hal Varian, in a speech to the FTC today.…

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Posted In: Media & Publishing, Online News, Companies, Google, hal varian

Exclusive
TMZ Courts Bigger Advertisers With New, Softer-News Website

Mar 9, 2010 5:19 PM

Celebrity gossip site TMZ has quietly unveiled a gentler fashion-oriented offshoot called Too Fab. Although TMZ maintains high traffic—February uniques were up 6 percent to 14 million, per comScore (NSDQ: SCOR)—and gained new credibility by breaking the news of Michael Jackson’s death last year, many advertisers remain uncomfortable with the…

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Posted In: Advertising, Features, Exclusive, Media & Publishing, Women-Centric Content, Online News, Social Media, Companies, AOL, tmz, too fab

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