Digital media and entertainment industry news

Napster must overcome many tough challenges to make its European expansion a success | 06 Jun 13 tags › Rhapsody-owned on-demand music service Napster has launched in 14 European countries in addition to its existing UK and German markets. Alongside the now industry standard ?9.99 ($9.99/£9.99) per...

Zynga conducts staff cull, as further focus shifts to mobile | 04 Jun 13 tags › Zynga has laid off over 500 of its staff, amounting to 18% of its employee base. A statement from the company clarified that it is refocusing its energies away from browser gaming, in order to better pursue the mobile opportunity. Multiple unofficial but primary reports have offered that Zynga's closures include its Los Angeles, Dallas and New York office. This includes OMGPOP, purchased for $180m last year.

Orange to launch satellite TV platform in Romania | 23 May 13 tags › Romanian National Broadcasting Council, CNA, awarded owned by France Telecom Orange Romania with a license to provide satellite TV in the country. The service is planned to launch yet in 2013 with short of 100...

Blackberry shifts focus to developing markets | 15 May 13 tags › Blackberry Messenger (BBM) will become available to Android 4.0+ and iPhone users this summer. Blackberry says that the popular messaging service currently has 60 million monthly active users globally....

LINE moves beyond messaging with games revenue success | 15 May 13 tags › NHN Japan's free social messaging service LINE reported more than 150 million worldwide subscribers for Q1 2013. The social messaging and gaming app is available for iOS, Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry...

Barnes and Noble boldly brings Google Play apps to Nook tablets | 07 May 13 tags › US bookseller Barnes and Noble (B&N) has partnered Google to bring its Google Play content store alongside Google Maps, YouTube, and Google Music services to its range of Nook HD and Nook HD+...

Apple's results demonstrate where it has sustainable differentiation | 24 Apr 13 tags › Apple reported its results first the first calendar quarter of 2013. Operational metrics remains strong while financial performance slipped very slightly.IHS believes Apple has four assets that will deliver sustainable differentiation in the future, notably:

Time Warner Cable adds live mobile video to iOS app | 19 Apr 13 tags › US pay TV Time Warner Cable has updated its TWC TV iOS app, allowing subscribers to view live and video-on-demand programming outside of the home via a Wi-Fi connection. The app, which is available for iPad,...

Redigi's digital first sale defense loses on a technical knockout | 18 Apr 13 tags › Capitol Records, part of Universal Music Group, won the first round in the media industry's effort to block the development of a used digital products market in a decision that found online reseller...

Amazon Appstore goes global | 17 Apr 13 tags › Online retailer and services provider Amazon plans to take its Appstore for Android mobile application store global, claiming it will expand to more than 200 countries in the coming months. Major new markets...

DISH makes $25.5bn Sprint counter-offer | 15 Apr 13 tags › DISH Networks has made a counter-offer for Sprint Nextel, offering $25.5bn for the carrier. The deal is split between $17.3bn in cash and $8.2bn in stock, a premium of 13 per cent from Softbank's...

Facebook launches phone with HTC, but its mobile ambitions go beyond just one device | 05 Apr 13 tags › Social networking giant Facebook has unveiled Facebook Home, a customised launcher for Android smartphones as well as a partnership with Taiwanese handset manufacturer HTC to bring a mid-range smartphone, the...