Wednesday Media Digest

MUSIC DISTRIBUTION:
* MTV (Viacom) and Microsoft plan launch of ‘Urge Music Service’ (2m tracks)
* Verizon Wireless plans V Cast Music launch Jan 16, 1m tracks from the 4 majors + The Orchard, player & codec & DRM from Microsoft, download to phone (2 $/track for phone and PC version) or PC (1 $/track for PC version)
* Vodafone and Sony launch ‘Vodafone Radio DJ’ for 3G and PC
* Sony Ericsson launches new Walkman phone ‘W810’ with memory stick
* Nettwerk Music Group licenses Snocap (legal P2P platform) for music from EA games

VIDEO DISTRIBUTION:
* Reuters plans launch of video affiliate program for bloggers, technology from Brightcove
* Dave.tv: launches Media Center software (consolidatesw sources, delivers to TV, PC, devices) and has a deal with Capitol Infrastructure (FTTH provider in southeast US)
* Sling Media: plans PAL version (for Europe) and Mac version (06Q2) of the Slingbox (access home TV anywhere) 06H1 (in beta since Nov 2005), plans to enter Canada, launches SlingPlayer Mobile (client for smartphone or PDA), plans Mac version client (now in alpha)
* Akimbo: deals with Movielink (library of 1k movies) and Thomson (new box, labeled ‘RCA-Akimbo Player’)
* AOL buys Truveo (video search).
* Yahoo! intr Yahoo! Go TV (video search, photos, Flickr, My Yahoo!, Movies, TV (tuner and PVR))
* Google intrs Videos Marketplace (content from CSB, others for buy or rent) and has deal with DivX (video codec) to put Google Video on devices.
* Thomson intros ‘Lyra X3000’ portable DVR (with MPEG-4) for DirecTV 2Go
* Proxure launches ‘MyTV ToGo 3.0’ Media Center software for portable devices (iPod, PSP, etc), $30
* 2Wire intros ‘HomePortal 4000 series iNID’ (outdoor, to save on truck roll cost)
* NDS demos ‘Home AV Center II’ (with Samsung and Broadcom; server, in-home, for up to 3 rooms; 5 tuners, 300 GB hard drive, VoIP) and ‘Xspace’ (with Akimbo, Fox, IGN; software for STB with broadband link)
* Comcast orders digital STB (with DVR, 250 GB storage, HD, MPEG-2 and H.264) from Panasonic
* MatrixStream plans launch of IPTV STB (with HD, delivery over broadband)
* Aeon plans IPTV STB (with 80 GB PVR, EPG, WiFi) with Protron USA, $350
* Microsoft new OS ‘Vista’ will include Media Center and CableCard
* Intel: deals for Viiv Technology platform (easy content sharing on any device by remote control) with Telecom Italia, Google, Yahoo!, AOL, CinemaNow, NBC Universal, MTV Networks (Viacom), ESPN (Disney), DirecTV (News), Grupo Televisa/Univision, Shanghai Media Group, Eros (India, ‘Bollywood’)
* Next-gen DVD: Twentieth Century Fox and Sony Pictures each plan 20 movies on Blu-ray DVD, spring 2006; Lionsgate plans 10 movies on Blu-ray; Paramount plans HD-DVD and Blu-ray releases; Philips plans Blu-ray player in 06H2; Toshiba plans HD-DVD player at $500 and $800 in March 2006

TV:
* Next-gen TV: Philips plans 3D HDTV 2008
* DTT: Freeview adds 694k in Dec 2005 to 6.393m
* TV watching US: fall viewing +2% (4 min) to 4:39 on average per viewer (Nielsen)