IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 3 September
03-09-2009
by Sylvia Leatham
YouTube in movie rental talks | Blu-ray backs Sony's 3D plans
The Irish Times reports that British music retailer HMV recorded a 1.8 percent decline in underlying sales for the first 18 weeks of its financial year. The company, which runs music, DVD and video games shops under its own name as well as Waterstone's bookstores, also said it is purchasing a 50 percent stake in digital media firm 7digital for STG7.7 million in cash. HMV said the deal would give it access to industry-leading technology and a catalogue of over 6 million digital music tracks, and would strengthen its position in the market for digital books.
The Irish Independent says that handset maker Nokia has unveiled three new phone models with improved social networking and music functions, as noted by ENN on Wednesday. Look out for more on this story in our Weekly Digest on Thursday.
The paper also says that Yahoo chief Carol Bartz has ordered her staff to stop debating the merits of the company's search and advertising deal with Microsoft. Bartz sent out an angry internal memo after it was disclosed that activist investor Carl Icahn has sold 13 million Yahoo shares over the last few days. In the leaked memo, Bartz told employees to "stop staring at our navels, stop arguing with each other. Stop debate, debate, debate, and let's focus on the competition." The memo comes amid speculation that Yahoo may not profit as much from the tie-up as first thought.
The Financial Times says that video-sharing site YouTube is in discussions with movie studios about launching a service to stream films on the site for a rental fee, according to sources. YouTube is in discussions with Lions Gate Entertainment, Sony Pictures and Warner Brothers about introducing some of their new titles to the site, say these sources. The pricing structure is understood to be along the same lines as renting a film on iTunes, which charges about USD3.99 per movie. Chris Dale, a YouTube spokesman, said the company did not comment on rumour or speculation.
The paper also reports that the Blu-ray Disc Association has said it will incorporate 3D into the Blu-ray technical format, giving a boost to Sony's plans to launch a range of 3D televisions. Sony, which is a founding member of the BDA, announced on Wednesday that it would introduce a 3D-compatible Bravia HDTV in 2010 incorporating Sony's proprietary high frame rate technology and 'active-shutter' electronic glasses to be worn by viewers. The association, whose members include leading IT firms, consumer electronics manufacturers and content creators, said it is working on a "uniform specification to ensure consistent delivery of 3D content across the Blu-ray disc platform."
The Wall Street Journal reports that Cisco Systems and EMC are in talks to form a new joint venture to provide IT services. The venture plans to target large firms and emphasise the installation of products from Cisco and EMC, according to sources. Cisco, which provides networking gear, and EMC, a maker of technology storage, would both have board representation on the new company, these people said.
The paper also notes that lawyers for Amazon.com have blasted Google's copyright settlement with the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers. The lawyers called the deal an anti-competitive agreement that would increase how much consumers pay for digital books and undermine US Congress's role in amending copyright law to address changes in technology. Amazon filed a legal brief with the US District Court in New York, formally intervening in the settlement. Others, including Sony, have expressed their intention to file briefs in support of the settlement.
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