Entertainment

Get ready for new "controlled circulation" models on the Web, ones that target you based not on your preferences for music or soft drinks -- but on what you consume in your occupation. Think of it as B2B social networking. First, some set-up ... One of the great media inventions of the mid-20th cent...

Yahoo China violated Chinese law by facilitating the illegal download of digital music files, a court in Beijing ruled. While Internet freedom advocates questioned the propriety of the decision by the Beijing Higher People's Court, the UK-based International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, ...

In a significant boost for its Internet unit, Microsoft has reached a long-term deal to work with media giant Viacom on content and advertising distribution, an agreement worth an estimated $500 million. The partnership calls for Microsoft's Atlas to become the exclusive advertising platform for all...

The European broadband market is growing rapidly. At the end of Q2 2007, there were close to 100 million broadband subscribers in Europe. DSL remains the dominant access technology, with over 80 percent of the market share. Nordic countries remain the leaders in broadband penetration, with penetrati...

Will movies be as successful as TV shows and videos have been in moving to the Web? Paramount Pictures is betting yes, with the forthcoming launch of what it claims will be the first studio-backed feature film to make its debut online. Coming to the Web on Dec. 19, "Jackass 2.5" is an hour-long fil...

With sales of Sony's struggling PlayStation 3 video game console picking up in Europe, Japan and the United States, the company's CEO, Howard Stringer, revealed details of its plans going forward for the console at a press conference Tuesday held in Tokyo. The PlayStation 3 outsold Nintendo's Wii in...

Three months after a messy breakup with Apple's iTunes Store, NBC Universal said Tuesday it will make its catalog of TV shows available through a download service made by rival portable device maker SanDisk. The shows the studio will offer through Fanfare, SanDisk's Web-based download service, inclu...

In a nod to its recent success and an expression of confidence in its future, AT&T will boost its dividend by the largest amount ever and buy back as many as 400 million shares of its own stock. The AT&T board of directors voted to increase the company's quarterly dividend rate from 35 cents...

In a nod to its recent success and an expression of confidence in its future, AT&T will boost its dividend by the largest amount ever and buy back as many as 400 million shares of its own stock. The AT&T board of directors voted to increase the company's quarterly dividend rate from 35 cents...

In a nod to its recent success and an expression of confidence in its future, AT&T will boost its dividend by the largest amount ever and buy back as many as 400 million shares of its own stock. The AT&T board of directors voted to increase the company's quarterly dividend rate from 35 cents...

Media-focused social networking site Imeem is barely 18 months old, but the fledgling site just went four for four in partnering with major labels: Universal Music Group is on board with Imeem's ad-supported music streaming model. Now Imeem users, averaging 19 million per month, can listen to full-l...

Predicting the deal will "revolutionize" home entertainment, Macrovision has agreed to acquire Gemstar-TV Guide for about $2.8 billion. Macrovision, based in Santa Clara, Calif., creates technology designed to thwart people from watching and copying digital material without proper authorization. Gem...

The Department of Justice is siding with the RIAA, saying the $222,000 in penalties levied against a file-sharer after a rare jury trial is not unduly excessive. Jammie Thomas, who became a celebrity for refusing to settle with the RIAA after being sued for posting music on Kazaa, was found to have ...

Consumers are enamored with HD entertainment devices. What consumers abhor, however, is the quagmire of cabling that tethers their HDTVs, high-def DVD players, gaming consoles and surround sound systems together. Hudson, Mass.-based Radiospire Networks is banking on consumers clamoring to its breakt...

Users of AOL's fledgling video download service may be in for a surprise the next time they visit the site. The one-time Internet leader has shuttered its 1-year-old video service and is now funneling users to Amazon.com's Unbox video download site. The shutdown follows AOL's decision to reinvent it...