Articles of the Day
Search Volume Rebounds In January - Search rebounded at the start of 2008, with Americans conducting more than 10 billion “core” searches in January, up nearly 9% from December 2007, according to comScore. In contrast, search volume had slid downward in December, with an almost 4% dip in queries versus the previous month.
‘DoubleTwist’ Converts DRM Restricted iTunes Tracks To MP3 Files - Jon Lech Johansen, the Norwegian hacker known as “DVD Jon” for creating software that bypasses copying restrictions on DVDs, has now unveiled a program that enables people to get rid of digital rights management
restrictions on iTunes.
Yahoo Expands Newspaper Network, Adds 25 Shaw Papers - Yahoo Thursday said it expanded its network of newspaper partnerships with the addition of four publishers, including Shaw Newspapers and its 25 daily and weekly newspapers covering northern Illinois and Iowa. With the addition of these publishers, the Newspaper Consortium now includes 634 participating newspapers, 425 of which are dailies - 30 percent of all U.S. daily newspapers and 37 percent of all U.S. Sunday circulation.
MOGO Media Launches How-To Video Podcast - The AskMOGO podcast will feature staff and experts answering technical questions submitted at MOGO conferences and through the AskMOGO Web site.
Microsoft Shares Secrets with Software Developers - Microsoft is finally embracing the push towards open software (sort of). In a conference call which failed to mention any progress on the Yahoo front, Microsoft executives unveiled a “strategic shift” in the company’s business
practices, the broader push of which is to bring Microsoft’s flagship products-the Windows OS and Microsoft Office-further into the realm of Web-based computing.
Google “Very Exposed” to U.S. Recession - We’ve got a “rough” next few quarters ahead of us as the U.S. economy dips into recession, and Web giant Google is as badly exposed as anybody else. Google is at risk because a significant portion of its advertiser base is at risk. Consumers will spend less during a recession, which means Google ROI will drop for advertisers, forcing them to spend less with the search giant.
Microsoft Skydrive launches globally and increases storage to 5GB - Microsoft’s Skydrive online file storage service is leaving beta for public release, with the company announcing a 5GB total storage boost in tandem with the launch. Skydrive opened in beta last year, allowing users to upload and manage files, choosing whether to keep them private, share with trusted friends through various permission levels or open to public access.
Truveo Continues Global Expansion with Addition of Six International Partners - Truveo, the leading video search engine, today announced that it is continuing its successful international expansion with the addition of international partners from China, Brazil, India, Turkey and the United Kingdom who have integrated the Truveo video search engine onto their websites. Traffic to Truveo’s websites expanded dramatically after it launched 15 international sites late last year.
MTVN Acquires Site Network Babunga To Build Parenting-based Ad Net Around Nickelodeon - MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA) has acquired Babunga, a company which owns a network of family-focused websites, Mediaweek reported.
EC Approves Thomson-Reuters With Conditions; DOJ Concurs; Close Expected In April - On schedule, the European Commission has approved the merger of Thomson (NYSE: TOC) and Reuters (NSDQ: RTRSY) (technically the former is buying the latter), provided the companies meet certain competition conditions.
ONESite Acquires Social Platform, Aims To Increase Presence In Entertainment And Tech - Seeking new talent and a larger sales force, ONEsite, a white-label social networking platform, has acquired rival software provider Social Platform. With the deal, ONEsite is aiming to extend its footprint in the West Coast and increase its presence in the entertainment and technology sectors.
WebMD to Merge With Parent - WebMD Health Corp. and its majority owner HLTH Corp. have agreed to merge in a cash-and-stock deal worth about $2.31 billion. HLTH Corp., which owns more than 80% of WebMD and has about $1.45 billion in cash, had proposed a merger in November. As part of the deal, HLTH Corp. said it will divest its two other main business units.
RealNetworks Buys Macrovision’s Games Business For $4 Million - Earlier today Macrovision (NSDQ: MVSN) announced its Q4 earnings and also mentioned that it has sold off its games DRM business (through Trymedia) to an undisclosed buyer for $4 million. We have found out through sources that the buyer is RealNetworks. This is in keeping with Real’s growing online and casual games business. Last year the company bought the casual games site Gametrust for about $20 million.
Reed Elsevier Buys ChoicePoint For $4.1 Billion; Restructuring - Reed Elsevier (NYSE: RUK), the B2B media giant is buying U.S. risk-management information business ChoicePoint for $4.1 billion in cash, as it also announced a series of cuts along with its 2007 results today. The Anglo-Dutch company said that it will combine ChoicePoint with its LexisNexis and analytics group and create a risk-management business with $1.5 billion in revenue and a leading position.
BaltCap Buys Interinfo Units - BaltCap, the leading private equity investor in the Baltic States, has acquired 100% of the Interinfo group of companies in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania (”Interinfo”) from Interinfo Holding SCA. Interinfo is the leading operator of “yellow pages” directories in the Baltics and provide print, internet and directory assistance products.
Interinfo has operating companies in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania with an annual turnover of EUR 15.5 million in 2007.
