YAHOO is seeing positive results from its new SmartAds, which were introduced to travel-industry advertisers last month. SmartAds utilize consumer data to personalize ads on the fly, changing design and content to fit a specific user’s preference. In a test of the technology, Yahoo found that consumers clicked on SmartAds up to three times more frequently than traditional display ads.
DIRECTV will announce a deal with CURRENT GROUP to offer broadband access over electric power lines. The company will bundle and brand Current’s Internet access and VOIP service with DIRECTV satellite service. Broadband over electric-power line is capable of faster speeds than broadband currently available from cable and phone companies.
HOME MEDIA RESEARCH released a comparison of BLU-RAY and HD-DVD sales figures. For the first half of 2007, Blu-ray outsold HD-DVD 2-to-1. 1.6 million Blu-ray discs were sold from January 1st to July 1st, compared to only 795,000 HD-DVD discs.
LIMEWIRE, the P2P network most known as a hub for illegal file-sharing, is trying to go legit. Limewire will launch a legal DRM-free music store, offering a-la-carte purchases and subscription download plans. The store will initially be accessible from links within the current Limewire program, and eventually achieve full integration.
SIRIUS has struck a deal with SONOS to offer streaming of SIRIUS content to home stereos via the Internet. For an extra $2.99 per month, consumers will have access to 80 Sirius channels, including Howard Stern, Martha Stewart Living, and Playboy content. Sonos has sold 200,000 of the wireless, multi-room systems that will work with the new service.