AdReplacer switches ‘obnoxious ads’ with human-curated links
Replacing, not blocking
Although most ad blocking tools primarily focus on hiding advertisements from websites you navigate to, that’s not all they’re capable of. Earlier…
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White House CTO calls for open source APIs, visibility for women
APIs not RFPs says Smith
U.S. citizens create world-beating tech sites like Amazon, Facebook and Twitter — so why can’t agencies like the IRS or Veterans Affairs do…
Netflix just bought the exclusive rights for four upcoming Adam Sandler movies
Adam Sandler will produce and star in four movies that will only be available on Netflix. It’s the second movie coup for Netflix this week.
HotelTonight now does one week advance booking. Is this the first step to it becoming Expedia?
HotelTonight should rename itself HotelWeek. The mobile on the go booking app is shifting the nature of its business.
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Chromatik’s new iOS app just made sheet music cool again
Chromatik wants to help you learn how to play pop songs on the instrument of your choice — and then share the best moments of your practice sessions with friends.
Rocket Internet takes massive investment from PLDT, giving it a valuation of around $4.5B
The PLDT deal is largely about developing mobile and online payment technologies for emerging markets, but it also gives the market a hint at Rocket’s worth ahead of a rumored IPO.
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Behind the scenes with Tom Siebel, C3 and its data engine for the power grid
We sit down with Tom Siebel, the tireless entrepreneur and billionaire that’s finally kicking energy software C3 into high gear.
Can telemedicine help communities justify better broadband?
Telemedicine can encompass everything from robotic surgery to remote consultations with far-away doctors. But telemedicine needs super fast broadband, so communities are trying to provide it as a way to improve their economic health.
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VoltDB scoops up $8M more to sell its NewSQL database
NewSQL database player sees big opportunity from a new generation of Internet of Things-enabled applications and will use this money to attack it.
Top jobs of the week in tech: Microsoft, Charles Schwab and more
Looking for a job in tech? Each week we highlight some of the most interesting positions posted to Gigaom’s job board. Check out the latest tech gigs at leading companies across the country.
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Everything you ever wanted to know about the selfie, visualized
A look at the selfie like you’ve never seen before.
Justine Sacco and the tweet heard around the world — when public shaming metastasizes into an angry mob
A single tweet by Justine Sacco created a Twitter firestorm on the weekend, and resulted in her getting death threats and losing her job. When does our ability to respond instantly to bad behavior become its own form of negative behavior?
Here’s why Orange is the New Black won’t score big at the Golden Globes
Another good morning for Netflix — today, the service racked up six Golden Globe nominations, including a nod to Orange is the New Black star Taylor Schilling. But was she considered in the right category?
The continuing evolution of the mobile business app ecosystem
Emergence Capital Partners released an updated visualization of the mobile business app landscape. Compared with 90 in May, today more than 150 companies occupy the space.
Twitter, under fire, names Marjorie Scardino as its first female director
Marjorie Scardino, former CEO of Pearson PLC and The Economist Group, will take a slot on Twitter’s audit committee.
Amazon added “millions” of Prime members in Q3, thanks in part to streaming video
Amazon Prime is growing very fast, thanks in part to streaming video, Amazon said in its Q3 earnings Thursday.
Atlassian parlays Jira issue tracking tool in service desk world
Internal help desks overwhelmed with requests for software updates and hardware repair, now can get a version of Jira issue tracking software for their own use.
Trouble already? ValueAct not consulted on Microsoft-Nokia deal
ValueAct is a shareholder activist firm that will consult on Microsoft business going forward. It was not, however, consulted on the $7.2 billion Nokia buyout.
Is making stories touchable the next big thing for journalism?
The best way to explain fracking is to let people do it, believes former LA Times reporter David Sarno, which is why he started to build interactive storytelling experiences based on game design tools.
América Móvil wants to take over Dutch telco KPN
Carlos Slim’s carrier giant is trying to break out of the Americas. Taking a 30 percent stake in KPN was a start, but now it wants to get serious by slurping up the rest.
Here are the 7 companies Microsoft doesn’t want its ex-Windows chief to join
None of the names on the list are shockers but it’s still interesting to see which of many IT players keep Microsoft up at night.
Verizon confirms it will challenge T-Mo and AT&T with its own upgrade program
Verizon’s Edge upgrade program will launch on August 25, giving customers to option of trading up phones every six months after they’ve paid half the full retail cost of their devices.
Facebook will start asking users to help beta test and catch bugs on Android
Facebook will be allowing users to particpate in a beta testing for the company’s Android app, that will allow them to get more real-world feedback when it comes to Android experiences on mobile.
From radio to Twitter, the ageless Vin Scully shows why the future of media is social
During his Wednesday night Tweetcast for the Dodgers, Scully basically tweeted like he broadcasts, but with one huge social media bonus: the ability to engage directly with his audience.
The Atlantic launches weekly iPhone magazine for $2.99 a month
The Atlantic’s anticipated paid product is now here in the form of a weekly collection of curated content. New issues will be distributed to the iPad and iPhone every Friday.
Tom Siebel’s $100M big data energy startup C3 finally emerges as a player
Famed entrepreneur Tom Siebel finally details just what his big data energy startup C3 has been up to. C3 is four years old, has raised a $100 million, and is now demonstrating real products and customers.
Redbox Instant won’t be ready until next year, after all
Redbox Instant by Verixon has nixed its plans to launch before the end of this year, and is now targeting a launch next spring, according to Verizon’s CEO Lowell McAdams. This comes days after we broke the news about key pricing details of the service.
Where next for Steven Sinofsky?
After his abrupt departure from Microsoft last week, inquiring minds want to know just where Steven Sinofsky will land next. Here are a couple intriguing possibilities. What do you think?
WalkMe raises $5.5 million to guide you through the web
WalkMe has raised $5.5 million to help guide you through the internet, providing clues and information to users before they end up with customer support or sending emails asking for help. Launched in April, the company sees itself as a simpler solution to customer support.
LiquidPiston unveils its ultra efficient, small diesel engine
The internal combustion is officially still alive, and delivering efficiency innovation.
Freelance writing network Contently makes its platform free
Contently, a New York City-based startup that connects vetted freelance writers with publishers and brands, is going free.
Video widget maker Taboola raises another $10 million
With its video widgets now serving up half a billion recommendations a day for publishers ranging from the New York Times to USA Today, Taboola secures a Series C funding round of $10 million. Founder Adam Singolda says the money will be used for infrastructure.
Flotype renames itself Bridge & opens floodgates to real-time communications
Flotype, the semi-stealthy Berkeley, Calif.-based startup has renamed itself Bridge and is making its messaging technology broadly available. Bridge promises real-time communications between any servers and other devices in a language- and hardware-independent way.
Oprah’s back with a digital book club
Oprah’s Book Club, which turned featured books into major bestsellers, is back after two years — with some improvements for the digital age: “This time it’s an interactive online book club for our digital world,” Oprah Winfrey says.
Getting video right: 7 questions for Sugar Inc.’s Brian Sugar
Brian Sugar and his wife, Lisa, have built a women’s media and e-commerce empire that grew out of the company’s flagship celebrity site, Pop Sugar. We caught up with Brian to learn more about how he made it in media. Here’s some highlights from the chat:
Internet memes are trench warfare in an election year
While hundreds of millions of dollars will be spent on television ads in the run up to the 2012 Presidential election, the real trench warfare will take place in Internet memes, says Daniel Sinker, the creator of the Rahm Emanuel for Mayor twitter feed.
What if broadband can’t save your economy? Create a new one.
Everywhere from the White House to the local White Castle, people are heavily promoting broadband as an antidote to economic woes. But what if a local economy is so bad even broadband doesn’t look like it will help? A recent event offers some clues.
HotelTonight releases an iPad app for same-day hotel bookings
The HotelTonight iPad is now available, adding to the startup’s mobile repertoire. The startup, which specializes in last-minute hotel booking, is now coming out with a gorgeous app that takes advantage of the new tablet’s Retina display.
Yahoo's Latest Brush With Big-Name Producer Talent: Ben Stiller
Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) continues on its push for original video content and A-list talent, with a deal for a new comedy series with Ben Stiller’…
Flexible work isn’t working for most
An expert on flexible work examines the data and concludes that despite much chatter about the rise of flexible working, in reality these policies only benefit a narrow, highly educated subset of the workforce. Can the practice be expanded to help those most in need?
Why you’ll soon love your cellphone contract
What if consumers actually enjoyed signing contracts? What if carriers just gave away phones — all of them — for free? John S. Wilson of Policy Diary imagines a world where carriers could entice consumers into signing four- or five-year contracts, with the right perks.
Atlantic Tries A Business Site Again; WSJ's Delaney Will Lead Editorial
Nearly two years after Atlantic Media Company suspended plans for a business site, the company is back at it with nothing less that what Jus…
Comcast promotes Neil Smit to Cable CEO
Comcast’s Neil Smit is taking the title of CEO for the company’s cable operations, 18 months after joining the company. In that time, Smit has led an improvement in the company’s customer service, while also ramping up product development and improving customer retention.
pC Entertainment Video: Mark Suster On The Future Of TV
It was a full day of discussions concerning the next steps in digital entertainment at our recent paidContent Entertainment conference, wher…
WSJ To Run E-Book Bestseller Lists Powered By Nielsen BookScan
With e-books now making up about 20 percent of sales for many big publishers, it’s essential for bestseller lists to include them in order t…
Microsoft Says It Tried To Bring Google In On Novell Patent Deal
Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) laughed off Google’s strident attack on its patent foes late Wednesday, claiming that it offered to make a joint bid…
The Bestsellers: Seth Godin’s Imprint Bundles E-Book With 200 Free Songs
Marketing guru Seth Godin created a new imprint, The Domino Project, in partnership with Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) as a vehicle to experiment with…
Privacy Compliance Service Evidon Hires MediaMath’s Smith As CRO
Evidon (formerly known as “Better Advertising”), the behavioral ad regulation compliance startup co-founded by former About.com CEO Scott Me…
Fourth Wall Studios Gets $15 Million For Transmedia Production
Fourth Wall Studios, a firm that has created transmedia marketing extensions for movies like Watchmen and Eagle Eye, will launch an “alterna…
Howard Stern Shows His ‘Private Parts’ On Twitter
It may have been the most captivating series of entertainment tweets since Kanye West took to Twitter with his apology to Taylor Swift. Howa…
Josh Sundquist Might Be the Most Inspiring Guy on YouTube
YouTuber Josh Sundquist was named today as YouTube’s On the Rise star for January, getting a featured spot on the front page. Looking at his videos, it’s not hard to see why — the author, Paralympian and motivational speaker’s work isn’t just fun, but truly inspirational.
Kevin Smith’s Indie Spirit Gives Hollywood the Finger
Kevin Smith thumbed his nose (that’s the polite version) at film distributors last night when he pledged to self-distribute his new film, Red State, directly to his fans. Is it a risk? Not when you consider how the director has become his own brand.
Intematix: Using Phosphor to Revolutionize LEDs
Intematix, an eleven-year-old VC-backed LED materials company, has an announced a new product called ChromaLit, which uses a new design for a phosphor light source for LED makers. The company says it will revolutionize the way LEDs are made.
Will Kiefer Sutherland Connect With Advertisers Online?
24‘s Jack Bauer will next be seen on Hulu, not the big screen — Kiefer Sutherland will be starring with John Hurt in web series The Confession. The project comes from DBG, a digital network taking its first steps into the world of deficit financing.
IPG’s Mediabrands Puts Pieces Into Place, Taps UM’s Seiler As CEO
After a year of looking for a CEO at the IPG’s Mediabrands buying and planning unit, the ad holding company has turned in-house and chosen U…
Next Up: The Verizon iPad Will Get Cellular Connectivity
One more new Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) product could be making its way to Verizon, on top of the iPhone that the two finally, formally announced ea…
Top 10 Serialized Favorites From 2010
It was a great year for online video, thanks to the vast and varied quantities of serialized content available: shows, memes and experiences that went beyond the single-serving to engage audiences and change how we saw advertising, parenting, dancing and live-streaming.
Oliver Stone’s New Project: Creepy Tech Investor
By now we’re all familiar with the dark and edgy cinematic stylings of Oliver Stone. Apparently it’s a sensibility he brings to everything h…
Former Interactive Head Banse Will Lead New Comcast Equity Fund
No more mystery about where Amy Banse will land in the new-look Comcast (NSDQ: CMCSA). After five years of building the company’s digital en…
Meredith Taps Nokia’s Schimel To Manage Consumer Marketing
Meredith (NYSE: MDP) is continuing to build out its dedicated consumer marketing unit and has created a new role that’s designed to bring it…
Ben Stiller’s Got Web Cred Thanks to Stiller & Meara
I’ve gotten less excited about celebrities making web video content over the past few years, because it’s often clear that the web is a foreign platform to them. However, Ben Stiller has already proven his Internet savvy with the web series Stiller & Meara.
Where to Watch YouTube Play Tonight
YouTube’s having a party to celebrate the artistic and experimental content submitted to its YouTube Play program, and if you’re not in New York, you can still tune in thanks to a livestream, to be hosted at youtube.com/play, tonight beginning at 8 PM ET.
Siebel, Condi Rice-Backed C3 Looking to Raise Close to $50M
Energy resource management startup C3 has some major names from the tech and policy world in its corner, and is amassing close to $50 million in funding, according to an SEC filing today, but the company is still largely in stealth mode.
George Strompolos Leaves YouTube to Found Start-Up
YouTube’s George Strompolos, who handled strategic partner development for the site and was popular with creators like Michael Buckley, announced on Twitter today that this is his last day at YouTube/Google, as he’s leaving the company to found a “digital media start-up” in Los Angeles.
Comcast Divvies Up CIM Pre-NBCU Merger; Banse Changing Roles
Steve Burke isn’t ready to announce who will run the various components once the NBC Universal (NYSE: GE) merger with Comcast (NSDQ: CMCSA)…
‘Nokia Is Back’ And Ballsy; ‘We’re Not Sorry We’re Not Apple’
Nokia’s beaten-down top dogs opened their annual Nokia (NYSE: NOK) World show in London Tuesday morning with a blunt and rousing pep talk an…
Pageonce Hires Yahoo Finance GM Schultz As COO
Steve Schultz, a five-year Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) veteran who had been the GM in charge of Yahoo Finance and Yahoo Real Estate in North America,…
Sarnoff Leaves Dow Jones To Join BBC Worldwide America As COO
Herb Scannell continues to pull former Viacom (NYSE: VIA) colleagues into BBC Worldwide America. The latest is Ann Sarnoff, who left Dow Jon…
Aydin Senkut on His New Fund & Cultural Changes at Google
Aydin Senkut, an early employee at Google, was the company’s first product manager, then its first head of international sales. He’s has now been an angel investor for four-and-a-half years and recently closed a fund of about $40 million at Felicis Ventures.
The Geek Awards: Good Food, But Uninterested in Geekery
Last night, AOL threw a party to celebrate their blogging network, under the guise of handing out so-called Geek Awards. But the event was a Blackberry-sponsored appropriation of the passion that fuels innovation online and off, ultimately doing a great disservice to real “geek” culture.
Rethinking the Value of Social Media
If you start out on a social network early on and that network grows over time, you can only keep up with that growth for so long because, at some point, the service will experience faster and bigger growth than you.
Aydin Senkut Raises Early Stage Fund
Aydin Senkut, a well known angel investor and ex-Googler has closed a new $40 million fund for his Palo Alto, Calif.-based four-year-old investment firm, Felicis Ventures. The fund will invest in very stage startups including those focused on consumer Internet and mobile sectors.
lonelygirl15 Creator, Epic Fu‘s Diaz Elected to IAWTV Board
The International Association of Web Television today announced the five new members of the Board of Directors, chosen in a special election after five of the original board members — Brady Brim-Deforest, Josh Cohen, Marc Hustvedt, Mo Koyfman and Jamison Tilsner — stepped down.
Video: Chris Sacca Helps Founders Cash Out Shares Early
Chris Sacca recently closed an $8.5 million fund to make seed-stage investments in Internet startups. But that’s not the only fund at his newly opened Lowercase Capital (the two-person shop includes COO Serena Lourie). In fact, there are five funds.
Yahoo Hires Ex-Microsoft Exec Shaughnessy As SVP Of Product Management
In what has to be seen as somewhat of a coup for Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO), considering the list of high-profile executives that have left recently…
What’s on Deck for Twitter’s Platform: App Promotion and Another Dev Conference
Om and I walked over to Twitter headquarters yesterday to meet with Twitter head of platform Ryan Sarver and head of product Jason Goldman, who told us what the company has done to keep its promise to developers at Chirp to be their friends.
FCC Names Chief Technologist
The Federal Communications Commission has named Douglas Sicker as chief technologist. Chairman Julius Genachowski said in announcing the app…
Freedom Communications Hires Former DirecTV Exec Stern As CEO
Freedom Communications, which emerged from bankruptcy protection in late April, has a new CEO. The company has hired former DirecTV (NYSE: D…
Julian Smith’s Production Value Shines on YouTube
Day Three of YouTuber Week focuses on self-taught filmmaker Julian Smith, whose acting talents are almost overshadowed by his incredible production values. However, the 23-year-old creator puts his comedy first, and himself second, for a varied assortment of sketches, music videos, and random video experiments.
Kat Sketch Uses YouTube To Show Off Her Art
YouTuber Week continues with a look at artist and vlogger Kat Sketch. Having joined YouTube in September 2008, Sketch’s viewcounts rarely break the six figure mark, but her art pieces using unconventional materials are just one part of her online success.
FAIL: US Presidents On Energy Independence
John Stewart, as he often does, hit the nail on the head when it comes to U.S. policy and presidential proclamations on energy independence and foreign oil. Love this video clip — gotta watch it.
Video: Togetherville Tries to Make a Safe Social Network for Kids
Launching its public beta today, Togetherville is tackling the tough job of creating a safe social network for kids by involving parents (without losing any of the fun). CEO Mandeep S. Dhillon explains how his company will do it in this video interview and demo.
Yahoo CMO Steele On Ad Campaign: Word Of Mouth Isn’t Enough For Us
Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) announced the second phase of its $100 million international ad campaign this week — a series of ads that push Yahoo’s s…
Anticipating Hearsay Labs, the Stealth Social Media Marketing Startup
Hearsay Labs CEO Clara Shih may be a brand-new entrepreneur with her first startup still in stealth mode, but she delivered a keynote speech today at the Web 2.0 Expo. We sat down with Shih afterwards to quiz her on what’s she’s doing with Hearsay.
Video Interview: Mark Suster, GRP Partners, On Changing VC & Startup Land
Last week I was in Los Angeles, and met up with Mark Suster, General Partner at VC firm GRP Partners. A 2X entrepreneur with very successful…
Open vs. Closed: What Does Open Really Mean?
The launch of Facebook’s open graph protocol is fueling the debate over whether it is better to be open vs. closed. But the ultimate answer may be that it depends. Being open can benefit a company in some ways, while being closed is better in others.
Twitter Launches Places, Annotations, User Streams for Developers
Twitter will soon give developers access to streams of user activity on its system, and allow them to create their own annotations to send along with tweets, Twitter’s director of platform Ryan Sarver said at the company’s Chirp conference, being held in San Francisco today.
Verizon CEO Says There Won’t Be A Spectrum Shortage
Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg thinks the Federal Communications Commission should not try to get spectrum back from broadcasters, that there w…
Why Playing Games With Consumers Won’t Work
If marketing companies are excited about using emerging technologies to play new games with consumers, they should think twice. The rewards may be greater, but the task will be much trickier.
In-Game Ad Network Double Fusion Raises New Round; Epstein Replaced As CEO
It hasn’t been the best year for in-game ad networks, with major layoffs at Microsoft’s Massive and a poor prospects forcing IGA Worldwide t…
Code Advisors Adds Credit Suisse Vet Scarborough
New investment bank Code Advisors has picked up some senior banking expertise with the hiring of Chris Scarborough, an 11-year vet of Credit…
Video Interview: Why Polyvore Is More Than Just Fashion
Polyvore, a fast-growing fashion community site, is in the interesting position of pushing forward both search and user-generated content creation at the same time. On the occasion of her hiring, we interviewed new CEO Sukhinder Singh Cassidy about some fascinating stats and observations about the company.
Weekend Vid Picks: All Hail William Shatner
I have one mission today, guys, and that is to get you excited about famous actor and Canadian William Shatner joining the…
Sambrook Leaves BBC To Join PR Firm Edelman As Chief Content Officer
Richard Sambrook, director of global news for the BBC, announced in his blog last December that he would be leaving the broadcaster. Today w…
Yahoo's New Search Head Takes Skepticism Head On
I’m not sure Shashi Seth knew what he was getting into, but he must have had an inkling. Yahoo’s new SVP of search products (as of three weeks ago) invited the press over to Sunnyvale today to try to “reset” perceptions about Yahoo and search.
Ballad of Mary and Ernie Features a Strange Premise, But Charming Execution
[show=maryandernie size=large]Those in search of some extra whimsy in their day could do much worse than checking out The Ballad of Mary…
AMEE Raises $5.5M for Carbon Accounting Engine
The end goal of AMEE is for everyone and every organization to know their complete energy use, or their “energy identity,” explained…
NYTimes.com Shakes Up Business Staff With Pending Metered Offer In Mind; Smurl Gets The Pay P&L
A batch of personnel changes at NYTimes.com as the The New York Times Co. (NYSE: NYT) fllagship site starts the year-long planning to switch…
Cable Shakeup: Comcast Brings In Charter CEO Neil Smit To Head Cable Operations
A major shakeup in the cable world as Comcast (NSDQ: CMCSA) brings in an outsider to run its vast cable operations and Charter (NSDQ: CHTR)…
Another Ad Shakeup At AOL: Seth Leaves After 90 Days For Yahoo; Fellows To Head Global Ad Products
Former YouTube exec Shashi Seth is leaving AOL (NYSE: AOL) today after just 90 days as SVP of global ad products to take a job with a Bay Ar…
Mr. Open Web Goes to Google
Chris Messina, self-titled “open web advocate,” will take that official title at Google starting Monday. He joins Joseph Smarr, the former CTO of Plaxo, who will also start at Google this month. Both are board members of the OpenID Foundation.
The Government's Broadband Bucks Trickle Out
The federal government’s plan to dispense $7.2 billion in broadband stimulus funds are finally beginning with the announcement of $182 million in government funds for 18 projects to be detailed later today. This means the government is 3 percent of the way through the grant-making process.
A Somewhat Sexy Q&A With Young American Bodies‘ Joe Swanberg
[show=youngamericanbodies size=large]Joe and Kris Swanberg’s Young American Bodies, a cult hit and one of the great early pioneers in web-distributed drama, has…
OWN Taps Comcast’s Singer To Manage Distribution, Sales Strategy
OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, a joint venture between the media personality and Discovery Communications (NSDQ: DISCA), is putting some fi…
Facebook Users Spend 8 Billion Minutes/Day on the Site
Facebook’s 300 million users collectively spend more than 8 billion minutes on the site each day, according to the social network’s VP…
Coming Soon: A Mozilla App for the iPhone
Earlier today when I interviewed Mozilla CEO John Lilly onstage at the Play conference, an annual confab organized by the students of…
Book Review: "Friends With Benefits"
Social media is becoming a must-use tool for marketing businesses of all types and sizes. Next month, well-known social media marketing consultants…
Russell Simmons’ GlobalGrind Raises $2.6 Million Funding
GG Digital Inc, parent company of GlobalGrind, the urban news and lifestyle site founded by Russell Simmons, has raised $2.6 million worth o…
Authenticity As Your Extreme Internet Strategy
Speaking at Izeafest, influential blogger Liz Strauss (@lizstrauss) of Successful Blog said that she considers authenticity her “extreme strategy,” both online and…
Verizon's President and COO to Retire
Verizon Communications (s VZ) said today that Dennis “Denny” Strigl, president and chief operating officer, plans to retire from the company by…
"Trust Agents" Offers a New Strategy
Chris Brogan and Julien Smith walk the walk when it comes to connecting with people online and building trust. Long before I…
The Journey of William Sledd: From The Gap to YouTube Stardom to Bravo to…the Local Bank
Rocketing to early fame on YouTube (s GOOG) could lead to three things: living the dream, getting disappointed and moving on, or…
Report: Advertising No Longer King of Content
For the first time, in 2008, consumers spent more time on media they’d paid for — like cable television and video games…
Petra Solar Inks Deal with New Jersey Utility for World's Largest Pole Solar Project
Pole solar? Something about the moniker sounds unnerving, but not for New Jersey’s largest utility PSE&G and startup Petra Solar. PSE&G says…
Geodelic Brings Serendipity to Location
From chip makers to mobile phone giants to tiny upstarts, location-based services are seen as the wireless world’s pot of gold. Among…
Thing Labs to Launch New Twitter App In Coming Weeks
Jason Shellen, founder of Thing Labs, the startup formerly known as Plinky, is keeping details about its new social media product tightly…
Experience The Girlfriend Experience Online First
Steven Soderbergh’s The Girlfriend Experience got plenty of buzz after a special screening at last year’s Sundance Film Festival. Shot on the…
Renewable Standards to Spur Moore's Law for Cleantech?
First it was personal computers — that’s where Moore’s Law, which dictates that the number of transistors on a chip doubles every…
Interview: Matt Seiler, Global CEO, Universal McCann: Current Ad-Sales System Is ‘Ridiculous’
Beyond the buzz about TV Everywhere or any of the options being tossed around for making programming available across platforms, lies a simp…
Industry Moves: Google Game Vet Bernie Stolar Heads To GetFugu
*Google* has been slow in its foray into video-game advertising — and those plans could progress even more slowly now, since the company is…
Angels Flock Together and Offer Less
[qi:101] Research out today shows that the number of angel investors and angel-backed deals stayed more or less the same from 2007…
Interview: PRS For Music's Online MD Andrew Shaw On The YouTube Spat
PRS For Music could this summer reduce the rates online services must pay it — but the UK royalty collector isn’t convinced sites can make…
Interview: Andrew Shaw, Online MD, PRS For Music: Rates Reform Under The Spotlight
PRS For Music could this summer reduce the rates online services must pay it – but the royalty collector isn’t convinced sites can make enou…
Industry Moves: Schiller Leaves Glam To Head Sales For Comcast Interactive
Industry vet Scott Schiller is joining Comcast Interactive Media (NSDQ: CMCSA) as SVP-advertising sales, responsible for Fancast, Fandango,…
Industry Moves: Condé Nast Shuffles Publishers; NewYorker’s Schutte Named CN Digital Sales Head
New Yorker magazine publisher Drew Schutte is being moved over by Condé Nast execs to serve as the first chief revenue officer of Condé Na…
It’s Official: NYTCo Gets $250 Million Cash Infusion From Carlos Slim
As expected, The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT) has received a $250 million cash injection from Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Helu. Re…
Reports: NYT In Talks With Mexican Billionaire Carlos Slim For Cash Infusion; Board To Meet Monday
Update: Citing “people briefed on the transaction,” the New York Times reported late Sunday that a deal with Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim…
@ CES: Sony’s Stringer Promises Internet Connectivity for 90 Percent Of Products
Ninety percent of Sony (NYSE: SNE) products will connect to the internet and to each other by 2011, Sir Howard Stringer promised the 2009 CE…
@ CES: Disney’s Anne Sweeney: ‘Can’t Just Build It And Hope Viewers Come’
The ABC.com episode player has delivered more than a half-billion episodes and a billion ads while ABC and Disney (NYSE: DIS) have sold “ten…
@ CES: CEA’s Shapiro On State Of The Industry: Sure, The Economy Is A Mess, But CE Can Save The Day
It’s cheerleader time for Gary Shapiro, the president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association, pulling out all the stops to rev up t…
Coal Gasification Startup Laurus Energy Raises Funds
Helping to produce more coal to run turbines and power plants sure doesn’t sound like a clean aim, but a startup called…
Industry Moves: Shaughnessy, Head Of Global Ad Sales At Microsoft, To Depart
Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) seems to be in the home stretch of retooling its entire ad-sales division: Bill Shaughnessy, Microsoft’s global VP of…
Joe Satriani vs. Coldplay: Station Conversation
In this week’s edition of Station Conversation, Liz Shannon Miller and Jill Weinberger lock horns over the Coldplay/Joe Satriani controversy. When does…
UBS Media Week: AT&T Will Marry Wired And Wireless Together; Femtocells Coming
John Stankey, the CEO of AT&T (NYSE: T) Operations, said with the way the world is evolving today, he does not envy companies that are in t…
@ UBS Media Week: Layoffs Coming At Disney? CFO Says Don’t Expect Any ‘Sweeping Announcements’
We’ve been hearing that layoffs are coming at the Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS) Company but CFO Tom Staggs told the lunch crowd at the UBS Global…
Wenner Hires First Digital Head; May Take Back RollingStone.com From RealNetworks
Wenner Media is finally getting serious about this thing called the Internet, and has hired Steve Schwartz as its first-ever chief digital o…
Panjiva: Panning for Gold in Numbers
[qi:066] Instead of trying to finish up nearly half a dozen unfinished posts, I ended up spending my entire weekend curled up…
Berlin-Based Personalisation Site Plista Secures Swiss VC Funding
German web personalisation service Plista has secured VC funding from Switzerland’s Draper Investment Company and Swiss investor Peter Schü…
Mark Burnett Productions Takes Equity Stake In Gene Simmons’ No Good TV
Things have certainly come far for NGTV, which was once considered too risque to be on mainstream TV: Gene Simmons’ No Good TV (NGTV), which…
Interview: Tom Staggs, CFO, Disney: $930M Digital Revs ‘Slightly Less’ Than Hoped, ‘Still Pleased’
Given the economic climate, the primary focus in today’s *Disney* earnings call — particularly in the Q&A — was on the company’s parks & r…
James St. James, This Is Halloween: NTV Station Today
I’m sorry, I know it’s not really an online video, but The Nightmare Before Christmas is awesome and you should all just…
Verizon Will Complete Alltel Deal, Says CEO
Verizon Wireless (NYSE: VZ) has every intention of closing the deal for rural carrier Alltel (NYSE: AT) and won
Energy Data Aggregator AMEE Raises $1M from O'Reilly
The mantra “if you measure it, you can manage it” is key to reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions, and using open…
@ Media & Money: Verizon CEO Seidenberg: Customers Want Choice, Not Simplicity
One of the recurring themes that has emerged at this morning’s sessions at the Dow Jones/Nielsen Media and Money Conference in New York, fea…
Departing Mansueto Digital Head Forms New Drupal-Based Social Publishing Firm
We reported earlier today about Fast Company’s merging digital with print operations, and Ed Sussman, the president of Mansueto Digital, lea…
Industry Moves: Bruce Stewart Leaves Yahoo To Become CEO of kgb’s Mobile Division
Bruce Stewart, who left Yahoo’s (NSDQ: YHOO) Connected Life division last month, where he was responsible for the business development activ…
Eisner On Online Video And What ‘Works’: Sex And Sarah Palin; But ‘Story’ Is The Thing
Veoh founder Dmitry Shapiro climbed on stage at a small theater in Manhattan to introduce a discussion on the changes online video have been…
Pressplane Gets $1.4 Million For ‘Buy And Sell Marketplace’
We missed this one earlier: Incubator Curious Office has closed its first round of funding of $1.7 million for its latest venture, Pressplan…
Communacopia: Verizon COO Strigl: Smartphone Revs Per User Double That Of Other Customers
Verizon is focused on changing its revenue mix from its broadband, wireless and FiOS businesses, president and COO Denny Strigl said at Gold…
Counting Down To Mobilize 08: Almost Sold Out
With three days to go, our Mobilize 08 conference is nearly sold out. It looks like we are going to have fun…
Mexican Billionaire Carlos Slim Takes Stake In New York Times Company
Mexican investor Carlos Slim Helu, thought earlier this year to be interested in acquiring at least part of Sprint (NYSE: S) Nextel, filed s…
Virtual Investing Platform UpDown.com Receives $1M Funding From Swiss Angel
The virtual investing social gaming platform UpDown.com secured a $1 million investment from Switzerland-based angel investor Joachim Schoss…
Industry Moves: Scardino Leaves TheKnot; Joins 19 Entertainment As President, Commercial
Janet Scardino, the former Reuters Media EVP who joined TheKnot in October last year as CMO, has left after 11 months, and joined Simon Full…
Poll: Is the New Microsoft Ad Any Good?
Microsoft has launched its largest consumer marketing campaign focused on the broad potential of Windows across PCs, the web and mobile devices…
The dMarc Brothers: Where Are They Now?
In case you were wondering if the Steelberg brothers, the founders of online radio ad firm dMarc Broadcasting that Google bought in 2006, ev…
Faster Web Pages Makes Users Happy
I can’t believe that in this age of Twitter, 24-hour news cycles and always-on access, anyone needs to point out that slow…
Autoglass’s Typical Mobile Advertiser Experience
So what
Gaia Gets More Cash as Money Pours Into Virtual Worlds
With Web 2.0 fever finally starting to wane, the investor community has been pumping some serious dollars into virtual worlds and MMOGs…
Semel’s Route To IMG Passes Through Dubai
Terry Semel, the former Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) CEO, is involved in a bid to return to his Hollywood roots: his media/investment firm Windsor Med…
Internet Watchdogs Attack NebuAd
Two non-profit organizations, Free Press and Public Knowledge, have ridden down the data trail of ad insertion technology provided by NebuAd and…
Jason Shellen Returns With Plinky
On Friday I caught up with Jason Shellen, one of the members of the original Blogger team. Following Google’s February 2003 acquisition…
Terry Semel’s Back To Stargazing: Looking At Buying IMG?
Terry Semel, the former CEO of Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO), may be looking at going back to his Hollywood roots for good: he plans to make a run at a…
@ D6: Stringer on Digital Music: The Vanishing Album Is An Issue
Howard Stringer, the CEO of Sony (NYSE: SNE), is on stage talking about, among other things, Sony’s position in music: “We have sold about 1…
@ D6: Sony’s Stringer: PS3 Not On Life Support Anymore
Sir Howard Stringer is doing a star turn as chief salesman for Sony (NYSE: SNE). One of his top messages: Playstation 3, which was “sort of…
Industry Moves: BBC NI New Media Boss Sims Leaving
The BBC’s head of new media in Northern Ireland, Davy Sims, is leaving the corporation after seven years running web operations in Belfast.…
Google Claims Less is More on Click-Throughs
Google isn’t evil and it isn’t being beaten down by the recession or fewer click-throughs on its ads. At least that’s the…
Industry Moves: Primedia Appoints Former YellowPages.com CEO As Its New CEO; Krantz Upped At YP
Primedia (NYSE: PRM), the shell-of-a-company-it-once-was, has appointed a new CEO: the 35-year old Charles Stubbs is the new president and C…
Will Smith And Others Invest About $2 Million In Music Video Startup PluggedIn
A new music video destination is launching tonight, and yes, another one. PluggedIn, a new site based in Santa Monica, is launching with abo…
Interview: Jeff Sellinger, New EVP & GM, CBS Mobile; Outgoing Exec Roeding Looking For Next Venture
We posted earlier today that Jeff Sellinger will become the new EVP and GM of CBS Mobile following the announcement that Cyriac Roeding is l…
Industry Moves: Roeding Leaves CBS Mobile; Sellinger Promoted To EVP & GM
A change-up at CBS Interactive (NYSE: CBS) … Cyriac Roeding “has decided to leave his post heading the division to pursue various entrepre…
Industry Moves: Nokia Appoints Elizabeth Schimel Head of Mobile Music
Nokia (NYSE: NOK) has hired former Comcast (NSDQ: CMCSA) SVP Elizabeth Schimel as head of global music, Billboard.biz reports. Schimel, who…
Verizon Execs Get Raises In 2007
Ivan Seidenberg, Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) CEO and Chairman, received $26.6 million in compensation for his performance in 2007, inc…
Goodbye, Old Friend! Russell Shaw, R.I.P.
In the early days of blogging there were just a few of us who blogged about VoIP and other such telecom topics.…
@ Dealmaker Summit: Corporate Vs. PE; Yahoo Will ‘Trade’; Big Media At Value Levels?
Every private equity panel at each of these conferences has to start off with the obligatory discussion of the economy. So just in case you…
Industry Moves: Discovery’s Schembri Tapped To Manage AT&T’s $3.3 Billion Media Budget
A little over three years since Discovery Networks hired him to oversee much of its new media planning strategy, Chris Schembri has defected…
Industrious Kid Co-Founder Symons Killed In Plane Crash
Jeanette Symons, co-founder and CEO of start-up Industrious Kid, was killed when the plane she was piloting crashed Friday during bad weathe…
Industry Moves: Initiative USA Names Spengler President; Cohen Presides Over Worldwide Innovation
Veteran media buyer Tim Spengler has been promoted to president, Initiative USA. The move follows the elevation of Richard Beaven from the r…
Semel Looking At Buying Into New Line?
We reported first earlier this month that former Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) CEO Terry Semel is boosting his investment firm Windsor Media, with the…
What's In a Name? Too much, sometimes…
Picking a name for your startup is tough, especially when you have to consider real estate on the Web. Sometimes you have…
Citi Media: Dennis Strigl, President & COO, Verizon Communications: Limits On Faster FiOS Rollout
After starting with a fairly boilerplate introduction to Verizon (NYSE: VZ) at Citi’s 18th Annual Global Entertainment, Media & Telecommunic…
Citi Media: Dennis Strigl, President & COO, Verizon Communications; No Econ Impact Yet
After starting off with a fairly boilerplate introduction to Verizon (NYSE: VZ) at Citi’s 18th Annual Global Entertainment, Media & Telecom…
Verizon CEO Seidenberg: Mobile Video ‘To Be A Big Deal’
Ivan Seidenberg, CEO of Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Communications, the parent company of Verizon Wireless, appeared on CNBC’s Mad Money show with Ji…
Industry Moves: Chris Sacca, Responsible For Google’s Spectrum Policy, Leaving
Chris Sacca, Google’s (NSDQ: GOOG) head of special initiatives and the exec behind its push for open-access spectrum, is leaving the company…
Industry Moves: Jeff Sellinger Promoted To SVP At CBS Mobile
Jeff Sellinger is moving up the CBS (NYSE: CBS) food chain; he
Corbis Offers Blogs Free Photos With A Catch — Embedded Ads
<a href=" Corbis will let blogs post some of its photos as part of an ad-sharing arrangement, CEO Gary Shenk told the…
Investor Who Forced Knight Ridder Sale Pares Back On Newspaper Holdings
Investor Bruce Sherman, who successfully agitated for the sale of Knight Ridder, doesn’t look set to fight the fight over again. Dow Jones N…
@ Media & Money: Keynote: Russell Simmons, Founder, Rush Communications
The final event at the Media & Money Conference was a keynote interview with hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, whose business empire is approac…
Numedeon Takes Investment from Pat Sajak for Tween-Oriented Virtual World
Pasadena-based Numedeon, the parent company of tween-oriented virtual world Whyville, has taken an investment from game show host Pat Sajak,…
With New President And CMO, TheKnot Looks To Spice Up Marriage Sites
Earlier this month, Janet Scardino, the former head of global marketing at Reuters, (NSDQ: RTRSY) was tapped as president and CMO of TheKnot…
