BROWSING: Fox

News Corp. spends $188M on Jamba venture

LOS ANGELES—News Corp. and VeriSign announced plans to form a mobile entertainment joint venture in which News Corp. will have a controlling interest in VeriSign’s Jamba subsidiary. News Corp. said it plans to pay $188 million for the ability to combine Jamba with Fox...

Burger King turns to mobile to serve its customers

SAN FRANCISCO-Burger King Corp. is letting its customers get their information their way-and more and more, that way appears to be via a mobile phone. Although McDonald's Corp. and other rival chains have toyed with mobile marketing tests, such as text-messaging sweepstakes and on-pack...

Burger King turns to mobile to serve its customers

By Alice Z. Cuneo SAN FRANCISCO—Burger King is letting its customers get their information their way—and more and more, that way appears to be via a mobile phone.Although McDonald's Corp. and other rival chains have toyed with mobile marketing tests, such as text-messaging sweepstakes...

Toyota dives back into mobile TV

LOS ANGELES-Toyota Motors North America plans to expand its mobile marketing efforts with a new wireless TV series from Fun Little Movies. The automaker is sponsoring "The Pool," a made-for-mobile comedy series that is being promoted with broadcast television commercials on major networks including...

Toyota dives back into mobile TV

LOS ANGELES—Toyota Motors North America plans to expand its mobile marketing efforts with a new wireless TV series from Fun Little Movies. The automaker is sponsoring "The Pool," a made-for-mobile comedy series that is being promoted with broadcast television commercials on major networks including...

MobiTV adds new radio channels

EMERYVILLE, Calif.—MobiTV Inc., which provides television and digital radio services for cellular and Wi-Fi networks, said it added seven new national stations to its MobiRadio lineup. The new stations are Air America, ESPN, Fox News Radio, Fox News Talk, The NPR Program Stream, Radio...

SmartVideo rustles up $9M in funding

ATLANTA—Mobile television provider SmartVideo Technologies Inc. said it raised $9 million in a private placement. SmartVideo delivers video programming to users with smart phones and laptop computers, and boasts relationships with content providers including ABC News, Fox Sports, The Weather Channel and MSNBC. The...

Mobile-specific ‘Entourage’ planned for Cingular

LOS ANGELES-Cingular Wireless L.L.C. has teamed with HBO to offer made-for-mobile episodes of the cable operator's hit show "Entourage." The 4-minute episodes are designed to complement the TV series and will center on "Entourage" character Johnny Drama. The wireless clips will feature the same...

Mobile-specific ‘Entourage’ planned for Cingular

  LOS ANGELES—Cingular Wireless L.L.C. has teamed with HBO to offer made-for-mobile episodes of the cable operator’s hit show "Entourage." The 4-minute episodes are designed to complement the TV series and will center on "Entourage" character Johnny Drama. The wireless clips will feature the same...

MobiTV clicks with Windows Mobile

MobiTV Inc. said it extended its wireless video service to devices running Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system.The service, which is available through Alltel Corp., Cingular Wireless L.L.C. and Sprint Nextel Corp., includes both live video and on-demand clips from content providers including...

The direct approach: Content companies sidestep carriers to sell to consumers

You can call it off-deck, off-portal or off-network, but the stampede of companies looking to sell content directly to consumers is unquestionably on. Off-deck activity has long dominated the wireless market in Europe, where a lack of garden walls has encouraged subscribers to use...

MobiTV moves to Windows Mobile

EMERYVILLE, Calif.—MobiTV Inc. said it extended its wireless video service to devices running Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system. The service, which is available through Alltel Corp., Cingular Wireless L.L.C. and Sprint Nextel Corp., includes both live video and on-demand clips from content...

Southern texting conspiracy might explain Idol results

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y.-Text-savvy Southerners may help explain why all five "American Idol" winners hail from south of the Mason Dixon line, according to figures from The NPD Group. Cingular Wireless L.L.C., which sponsors Fox TV's hit reality show, is based in Atlanta and claims...

Southern texting conspiracy might explain ‘American Idol’ results

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y.—Text-savvy Southerners may help explain why all five "American Idol" winners hail from south of the Mason Dixon line, according to figures from The NPD Group. Cingular Wireless L.L.C., which sponsors Fox TV’s hit reality show, is based in Atlanta and claims...

Mobile TV revenue share may require new model

It wasn't long ago that wireless operators had a simple business plan for content and applications: Ink a boilerplate revenue-share deal, put the stuff on the deck and hope users download it. But mobile video is changing all that. As wireless TV begins to...

Short codes add one to boost numbers

Wireless industry trade association CTIA is hoping to spur direct-to-consumer revenues by expanding the industry's short-code program. The industry group, along with short-code administrator NeuStar Inc., announced open registration for six-digit short codes. Wireless subscribers can access content or services by sending a key...

Amp’d skips contract on prepaid service

Amp'd Mobile Inc. has rounded out its service offering with a prepaid play that began selling last week, touting its new pay-as-you-go service as "the first and only pay-as-you-go 3G wireless phone service." Amp'd Mobile's prepaid offering charge customers 10 cents per minute for...

RFID tagging debated for immigration control

In the face of raging immigration debates across the nation, Applied Digital Corp.'s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Scott Silverman suggests "chipping" immigrants to help gain control of the situation. Appearing last Tuesday on FOX News' FOX & Friends, Silverman suggested that guest workers...

Disney signs rev-sharing contracts for “Lost” mobisodes

LOS ANGELES—Mobile episodes of the hit television show "Lost" are once again in the works following an agreement between Walt Disney Co. and three Hollywood unions.   Disney’s Touchstone Television reached an agreement with the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), the Writers Guild of America (WGA)...

Fox, Toyota test ad-supported content space

Mobile video continues to make headlines as a sexy, next-generation offering for wireless users. But content providers are beginning to look to the venerable business model of advertising-supported content to fuel broadcasts for wireless subscribers. The Fox Broadcasting Co. joined the crush of broadcasters...

Teenage Mutant Ninjas set their own wallpaper

KASANS CITY, Mo. —The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are finally going mobile. Wireless publisher uclick L.L.C. is teaming with 4Kids Entertainment Inc. and Mirage Licensing Inc. to produce mobile wallpapers, games, comic book readers and video from the cartoon superheroes. The content will be...

Mobile content firms aim for sweet spot

LAS VEGAS-Mforma Group Inc. is the latest mobile-game publisher to get a makeover, dropping its name in an effort to become more consumer-friendly.The San Francisco-based developer is rebranding as Hands-On Mobile and expanding its portfolio to offer a variety of lifestyle applications in addition...

SMS.ac joins race to offer user-generated mobile content

LAS VEGAS-SMS.ac Inc. is joining the stampede toward user-generated mobile content.The San Diego-based messaging company unveiled its Content Monitor software offering designed to allow users to publish and monetize their own content. Members can create blogs, video clips or music and set a price...

PayPal charges into m-commerce

LAS VEGAS-PayPal Inc. officially went mobile, launching a service that allows users to make purchases and send or receive funds  via wireless phones. Wireless subscribers can use the offering-which the company quietly began testing several weeks ago-to send money to other registered PayPal members...