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Joost Revises Its Business Model

Seth Gilbert — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:15:10 +0000

If at first you don’t succeed, try try again. But if “Plan B” doesn’t work either? Then what? Do you call it a cautionary tale? Chalk it up to the nature of the game? Or do you try a new course yet again? For the once high flying internet video startup, Joost, [...]

Crowd Sourced Knowledge: Netflix Prize Won?

Seth Gilbert — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 04:51:13 +0000

Log in to Netflix and rate a movie you watched on a scale of one to five and Netflix’ computers will try to suggest other titles you’re likely to rank the same way. This algorithmic pairing process has been marketed as a key differentiator between Netflix movie rental service and that [...]

THQ Reorganizes Units, Looks to Future

Seth Gilbert — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 02:57:13 +0000

In the hit or miss world of video games, the last fiscal year was an unequivocal miss for Agoura Hills based THQ. The company came up $431.1m short on a GAAP basis (or lost $101.8m in Non-GAAP terms) when it reported its full year results in May (release). It was a “challenging” [...]

The Fight for Audience: Newpaper Websites in May

Seth Gilbert — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 04:28:40 +0000

As newspapers continue their efforts to squeeze out revenue from their online properties, one of the questions editors are asking is what differentiation they should have between print and dot com. Some argue that online being free; print should offer something special to add value to those paying for delivery. Others counter [...]

May NPD Results: A Closer Look

Seth Gilbert — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 05:12:44 +0000

At the gaming industries big convention, E3, a lot of the buzz was software driven. The chatter and talk was about the games on the horizon. Who’s building what, how well it plays, how fast, and how fun. Looking to last month, the industry didn’t generate the same kind of excitement in [...]

MySpace Cuts Staff to Regain Agility

Seth Gilbert — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 04:19:52 +0000

In his biography or Rupert Murdoch, “the Man Who Owns the News,” Michael Wolff spoke indirectly of News Corps culture saying “every second working for [Rupert] Murdoch is a second spent thinking about what Murdoch wants.” Outside the realm of News Corps more core news-driven media properties, MySpace seemed to escape [...]

Checking the Chips: iPhone 3G S

Seth Gilbert — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 02:40:38 +0000

It usually takes a few days or weeks after a product hits the store shelves before there is a public tear-down and reports about its innards (and manufacturing costs). Jumping the gun, and working off “insider sources” instead of an actual look inside, several sites began sketching out the details and [...]

Paying for Content? USA Today to Try Email Delivery?

Seth Gilbert — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 06:17:26 +0000

From publisher to mogul, the frequent mantra from up high lately has been that the future for news media online will increasingly require payment for content. Big papers simply can’t afford to keep shelling out the money to pay the high price of reporting while competitors “borrow” the costly facts for [...]