Seth Gilbert, 03-10-2008
Mini-major independent film producer Lionsgate announced Monday that they will become the third movie studio behind 20th Century Fox and Sony Pictures to bundle an iTunes digital download with a DVD purchase starting in May. According to the announcement, the packaging will begin with all special edition DVD and Blu Ray copies of Rambo. A second movie, The Eye, featuring Jessica Alba, will also feature the bundled package when it’s released.
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Seth Gilbert,
Sand Hill Road in Silicon Valley remains ground zero for venture capital investment. In 2007 Silicon Valley outpaced its closest geographic competitor by a factor of nearly three to one (via PWC Moneytree). Still, even with a smaller scale Hollywood Blvd. is getting busier, generating more investment traffic, and building buzz. Saban Capital Group is the latest to hang up a V.C. shingle to address the SoCal market.
First reported in the Hollywood Reporter, Haim Saban’s Saban Capital Group (SCG) is expanding from a focus on broad, large, traditional private equity deals to now also include more venture oriented digital media component in their portfolio mix.
Historically, SCG has been known for large media transactions. Haim Saban himself was behind Fox Family Worldwide which News Corp sold to Disney for $5.2b in 2001. Click to Read More
Seth Gilbert, 03-7-2008
The convergence of fitness and entertainment technology has become something of a trend. Nintendo has been hawking their Wii Fit platform. Apple’s been joined at the foot with Nike. Now Samsung is working out with Adidas.
Today the electronics maker introduced the MiCoach, a curious combination of mobile phone and MP3 player that is aimed narrowly at the fitness market. Every bit a convergence device for the gadget freak, the system bundles all the key functionality of a cell phone with a small 1GB MP3 player, a heart rate monitor and an electronic training monitor into a single device. All that’s missing is a water bottle and gym membership.
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Seth Gilbert,
The WB Network catered to youth audiences from 1995 to 2006. The upstart TV Network then joined with UPN to form the CW. Now, according to aMediaweek report that cites “unidentified sources” the old WB may be on its way back again, only with an exception: it will be online.
Though there is no official report, the former home of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Smallville and the Gillmore Girls may be reborn as an online video portal targeting women between the ages of 12 and 34.
So far, few facts have surfaced. Click to Read More
Seth Gilbert,
One hundred million dollars buys a lot of iPhones, probably about two hundred and fifty thousand or so. A hundred million also buy a lot of iPhone software development. Just how much will be up to Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers (KPCB). As part of Apple’s iPhone Road Map Day on Thursday the Sand Hill Road venture capital firm took the stage to announce the organization of a $100m investment initiative earmarked for developing applications and services for use with the phone.
$100m is a lot of money. Pledging it all to software and services built around a single product sounds significant. But while there is no question it is a strong endorsement of the iPhone’s potential, beneath the headlines the allocation may be less significant than it seems. It comes down how venture funds work and a distinction in phrasing between a fund and a focus area.
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Seth Gilbert,
Jim Keyes cut his teeth squeezing profits out of quickie marts and low cost snacks. After about eight months trying to get Blockbuster back on track, the former 7-11 chief and his management tactics may finally be working.
Thursday Blockbuster (BBI) reported earnings of $38.1m, or 18 cents a share on revenue of $1.57b. Less severance related charges and other onetime costs, earnings came in at $54.9m (26 cents a share). The numbers are a drastic improvement over the $8.3m (4 cents a share) earned during the same period last year. The results also outpaced consensus analyst estimates of about 19 cents a share.
Much of the near term improvement is the result of cost cutting measures including scaling back advertising expenses (decreased about 26%) and closing down about 750 stores.
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Seth Gilbert, 03-6-2008
Cell phones are getting more and more sophisticated and along with the changing technologies, mobile usage patterns are starting to shift. According to a just released report from Pew Internet about 75% of American adults own a cell phone. 58% have used their device for non-voice applications (email, texting, and Internet) and 41% have logged into a mobile Internet connection.
Apple and Research in Motion are among the phone makers leading the push to the future but like giant ships passing in the night, they have so far approached the markets from opposite shores; one focused on consumers, the other the needs of corporate business users. Now that is changing. In an increasingly spirited competition both companies are expanding their ambition. Instead of targeting just a segment (corporate/consumer) now they’re both aiming for the entire smart phone market. It’s shaping up to be an interesting battle.
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