Yahoo Acquires Real-Time Display Ad Firm Dapper

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Sunnyvale, Calif. – Yahoo (NASD: YHOO) announced on Tuesday that it has
acquired Dapper, the provider of a real-time display ad bidding technology
platform.

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in
2006, San Francisco-based Dapper had raised $3 million in funding, from backers
including Accel Partners and Mitch Kapor.

The two companies had previously
partnered on display ad delivery.

"[Yahoo’s] Smart Ads will continue to be an important
component of display advertising and the acquisition of Dapper will help Yahoo
to more efficiently deliver dynamic and personalized ads for customers across
more of our network," said Frank Weishaupt, Yahoo’s vice president for
North America Ad Marketplaces.

 

Related Links:
http://www.dapper.net/news/?p=1208

BT Asks Court to Halt File-Swapper IDs in Ministry of Sound Case

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

London – The U.K. High Court has granted telecommunications
firm BT’s request to stay an order requesting it hand over the identities of
ISP subscribers suspected of illegal file-sharing.

Dance music record label
Ministry of Sound hired the law firm of Gallant Macmillan to go after Internet
users suspected of sharing its songs online; the firm identified computer IP
addresses connected to the activity, and is now asking BT to identify the
subscribers in question.

For its part, BT in court cited the leak last week of personal
emails and data on thousands of suspected file-swappers from ACS:Law, another
law firm hired by copyright holders to seek out infringers.

"We want to
ensure broadband subscribers are adequately protected so that rights holders
can pursue their claims for copyright infringement without causing unnecessary
worry to innocent people," BT told the Guardian.

"The incident
involving the ACS:Law data leak has further damaged people’s confidence in the
current process. We’re pleased that the court has agreed to an adjournment so
that our concerns can be examined by the court, this will then act as a precedent/test
case for the future."

 

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/2b84yxn
(Guardian)

http://tinyurl.com/35fxm7t
(ZDNet)

FCC Seeks Additional Info on Comcast, NBC Universal Deal

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
2

Washington – The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on
Monday requested additional information from both Comcast (NASD: CMCSA) and NBC Universal (NYSE: GE)
related to the potential impact of their proposed merger agreement. The FCC’s
questions show the agency is interested in how the proposed $13.75 billion
merger will affect online video distribution.

Comcast was asked to provide
copies of distribution agreements for its cable channels — which include E!
and The Golf Channel — to rivals like Time Warner Cable and DirecTV, while NBC
must submit distribution contracts for its cable networks.

The companies were
also asked to provide details on the annual revenue generated from the top 20
advertisers on each of their respective networks.

Comcast was asked to
detail operations of its managed services, like video-on-demand and
pay-per-view, and its dealings with rival managed service providers.

The FCC
gave Comcast and NBC Universal until Oct. 18 to respond to its new questions.

The
new questions will not "stop the clock" on the agency’s review, which
Comcast has previously said it expects to be completed by year’s end.

 

 

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/27rbf6d
(Washington Post)

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/posttech/comcast.doc
(PDF)

Social Games Publisher Zynga Acquires Bonfire Studios

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

San Francisco – Social games publisher Zynga announced on
Tuesday that it has acquired Dallas-based developer Bonfire Studios.

Financial
terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The management and development
team at Bonfire will become Zynga Dallas. Founded in 2008 from the ashes of
Microsoft’s Ensemble Studios, the team at Bonfire has developed PC and Xbox 360
titles such as "Age of Empires," "Age of Mythology" and
"Halo Wars."

With the deal, San Francisco-based Zynga now owns a total
of eight development studios.

 

Related Links:
http://www.zynga.com/about/blog.php

http://www.bonfire-studios.com

NBC Universal Invests in TV Ad Targeter Invidi Technologies

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
1

New York – Invidi Technologies, a developer of addressable
ad technology for television, announced on Tuesday that it has received an
investment from NBC Universal (NYSE: GE).

While the amount was not disclosed, The Wall
Street Journal quoted an NBC Universal spokeswoman who characterized the investment
as "small."

New York-based Invidi’s technology allows for the sending
of multiple commercials targeted to specific audience segments watching a
single program.

The company has distribution agreements with DISH Network,
DirecTV and Verizon, and its technology has been tested by Comcast.

Other
Invidi backers include Google, Motorola and GroupM.

 

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/2cl6o2e
(WSJ)

http://www.invidi.com

Facial Recognition Developer Viewdle Secures $10 Million

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

San Jose, Calif. – Viewdle, a developer of facial
recognition technology for use in consumer applications, announced on Tuesday
that it has raised $10 million in its second round of funding, from backers
including Best Buy (NYSE: BBY), BlackBerry Partners Fund and Qualcomm (NASD: QCOM).

Previous backer
Anthem Venture Partners also participated.

Founded in 2007, San Jose,
Calif.-based Viewdle’s technology identifies faces in videos and photos across
mobile phones, computers and cloud-based services.

The company will use the
funds to launch new consumer products over the coming months.

 

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/253whd9

http://www.viewdle.com

AppNexus Gets $50 Million for Real-Time Display Ad Platform

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

New York – AppNexus, the operator of a real-time display
advertising platform, announced on Tuesday that it has closed a $50 million
third round of funding.

Microsoft (NASD: MSFT), a "longstanding" AppNexus client,
participated in the investment round, along with previous backers Venrock,
Kodiak Venture Partners and First Round Capital.

AppNexus provides ad networks,
demand-side platforms and other online ad firms with single-point buying access
to the major real-time ad exchanges.

The three-year-old company, based in New
York, will use the new funds for further product development and global
expansion.

 

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/28zhl78

http://www.appnexus.com

The Echo Nest Lands $7 Million for Music Intelligence Platform

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Somerville, Mass. – The Echo Nest, a developer of music
discovery and recommendation technologies, announced on Tuesday that it has
raised $7 million in new financing, led by Matrix Partners.

Previous backer
Commonwealth Capital Ventures also participated in the round, proceeds from
which will go to expand its team and further develop the company’s "music
intelligence" platform.

Created by two MIT Media Lab PhDs, Somerville,
Mass.-based Echo Nest’s suite of APIs and developer tools are used in over 80
music discovery applications, interactive music games, remix apps and
analytics-driven music marketing applications.

 

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/26rp2qp

http://www.echonest.com

Parents' Social Media Monitor SocialShield Raises $10 Million

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

San Bruno, Calif. – SocialShield, the provider of a service
that lets parents monitor kids’ social networks use, announced on Tuesday that
it has raised $10 million in its first round of venture capital financing, led
by Venrock and U.S. Venture Partners.

Angel investors including Russell Fradin,
Larry Braitman, George Garrick, Craig Sherman and Rick Thompson also
participated.

San Bruno, Calif.-based SocialShield launched in June, offering
parents a means of monitoring their kids on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and
other social sites.

The service, which costs $5-$10 per month, alerts parents
to cyberbullying and flags comments pertaining to suicide, drug use, and sexual
activity.

 

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/25n6ugv

http://www.socialshield.com

Barnes & Noble Debuts PubIt E-book Self-Publishing Service

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

New York – Bookseller Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS) on Monday launched
PubIt, a new platform that independent and self-publishers can use to digitally
distribute their works via BN.com and the Barnes & Noble eBookstore.
Publishers charging between $2.99 and $9.99 for their titles will receive 65%
of list price, while those charging more or less will receive 40%. The service
launches with "tens of thousands" of new titles, with Barnes &
Noble promising to make new submissions available in 24-72 hours.

 

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/28jkst7

http://www.pubit.com

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