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SHELLY PALMER analyzes Antigua’s threat to undermine U.S. copyright laws by legalizing piracy. Read this week’s essay to learn about the 1st InfoWar.
GOOGLE submitted a letter to the FCC requesting that the “white spaces” between television channels be authorized for wireless Internet signals. The letter stated that most viable spectrum is unused or “grossly underutilized” and that “white space” Internet services will offer “ubiquitous broadband access to all Americans.” Google believes that spectrum-sensing technology can avoid any interference with television signals. It pledged free technical support for third parties trying to implement it.
THE DOJ approved the merger of the SIRIUS and XM satellite radio services. The Department argued that satellite radio is just one part of a much larger “audio market,” which is growing and includes Internet radio, HD Radio, the MP3 format, iTunes and traditional AM/FM radio signals. It believes a combined XM-SIRIUS will not be anti-competitive in this market. The deal must still pass one final hurdle: FCC approval.
ESPN has ended its participation in online ad networks, claiming the practice dilutes its brand and undermines its quality. The ad networks, which included Specific Media, sold inventory on ESPN sites along with thousands of other online destinations. ESPN will end all such agreements. Turner is reportedly considering a similar move.
IMEEM launched an application platform that will allow developers to tap into its growing media library. Applications will be able to integrate the site’s video, music and images to create sharing apps, recommendation engines, music quizzes and more. Imeem will handle all licensing. The new platform increases Imeem’s status as a multimedia-focused social network with forward-looking approaches to new media.
MLB.COM is expected to unveil a number of enhancements this year, including a site overhaul that emphasizes video content. Streaming video will be increased to near-hi-def quality, adopting a 1.2 Mbps data rate and a 16×9 aspect ratio. The site will begin tagging all aspects of game clips, including players involved, teams, type of play and more. This will allow users to find exactly what they’re looking for. The changes are meant to further improve an undeniably successful online video service. MLB.com users average 37 minutes of video per viewing — virtually the same average that baseball receives on traditional television.