Motorola

                   If you are having trouble viewing our video player, check out MediaBytes on YouTube. MICROSOFT is expected to announce whether it will pursue a hostile takeover, complete a negotiated deal or walkway from acquiring YAHOO sometime today . Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was ambiguously quoted Thursday, saying “With the right circumstances it’ll happen. Without Continue Reading →

  If you are having trouble viewing our video player, check out MediaBytes on YouTube. COMCAST plans an imminent release of the first system that allows television ads to be targeted to the individual household level. The system will reportedly be deployed this June to over 100,000 homes in Baltimore. The technology is being developed Continue Reading →

  If you are having trouble viewing our video player, check out MediaBytes on YouTube. YOUTUBE has added Insight, a new feature that tracks when and where videos are being watched. Insight breaks down views by both geography and time, giving video publishers some powerful new performance data. The tool has a number of practical Continue Reading →

CBS has launched the CBS Local Ad Network for owned-and-operated television stations. The network will offer local web sites and bloggers widgets that provide local news, video and advertising. O&O’s will sell all advertising and give widget publishers a cut of the proceeds. Jeff Jarvis reports that stations will sell the ads at around $10 Continue Reading →

TOSHIBA has officially announced that it will stop producing and marketing HD DVD players. Shipments to retailers will cease by the end of March. The company said it “simply had no chance to win,” and that continuing the format would harm consumers. APPLE has signed a multifaceted deal with American Idol, making iTunes the exclusive Continue Reading →

THE WGA and the AMPTP formed a tentative three-year agreement that gives writers 2% of the producer’s gross for Internet streaming. For download rentals the scribes will get 1.2% of distributor’s gross and for download purchases they will receive up to .7%. According to Variety, TV showrunners will return to work today and writers are Continue Reading →

MICROSOFT has made an unsolicited offer of $44.6 billion to purchase YAHOO, a 62% premium on the company’s market price at the close of business on Thursday. If successful, this would be the biggest technology takeover in history. Yahoo’s value has plummeted 18% during this year and the company has faced a losing battle against Continue Reading →

Wireless HD, BluRay, IP-enabled television monitors and very, very thin flat screens dominated the consumer electronics show this year. Officially dubbed, International CES 2008, the show featured 1.85 million square feet of exhibition space, 2,700 exhibitors, 25 thousand international attendees and over 140,000 participants. Las Vegas, a city literally built for tourism, is always overwhelmed Continue Reading →

CHINA has issued draconian new rules restricting the broadcast of online video to state-owned and state-controlled sites. The regulations go into effect on January 31st and major online video companies are waiting to see how tightly the government will crack down on independent video sites. A YouTube spokesman called the developments “a cause for concern.” Continue Reading →

JEFF BEWKES will replace Richard Parsons as the CEO of Time Warner, effective January 1st. The move comes after months of speculation about Parsons’ future at the company and pressure from Wall Street due to a sagging stock price. Parsons will remain Chairman of Time Warner and said that Bewkes has his “full support” as Continue Reading →