Deal Set to Make Vivendi Big Player in Videogames[WSJ]
Vivendi will acquire a controlling stake in Activision, uniting the companies behind Guitar Hero and World of Warcraft and shaking up the gaming industry, which is currently dominated by Electronic Arts. Activision Blizzard will combine gaming operations at both companies and place the new company ahead of EA in terms of revenue. “The match of the two companies is amazingly powerful, and it will immediately create a new leader in videogaming world-wide,” Vivendi’s chief executive said.
Small Merchants Gain Large Presence on Web [NYT]
Mom-and-Pop stores are quickly increasing their presence online, with the number of small- and medium-sized stores increasing from 21% to 32% in just two years. Sites like RealmDekor.com and ClearAirGardening.com are competing with the likes of Amazon, through cheap advertising methods that focus on attracting customers through bloggers and social shopping sites.
Digital Developments Could be Tipping Point for MP3 [Reuters via WashPost]
EMI and Universal Music already distribute much of their music in the MP3 format, and now news of a Pepsi promotion (1 billion song giveaway) and a Walmart ultimatum (that major labels supply walmart.com with their music in MP3) is pressuring the rest of the industry to follow suit.
Yahoo Top Searches 2007: Please, People, Stop Typing Britney Spears into Search Boxes [TechCrunch]
Britney Spears, the WWE, and Paris Hilton topped this year’s most popular Yahoo searches. This year, the search engine divided top searches into ten categories, including leading news-related inquiries and most searched Del.icio.us articles.
Feeling Betrayed, Facebook Users Force Site to Honor Their Privacy [Washington Post]
As we reported Friday, Facebook has backtracked on Beacon because of privacy concerns: but not before ruining one man’s Christmas surprise for his wife.
Related: Facebook Founder Finds He Wants Some Privacy [NYT]
Related: Ad Targeting Improves on Web Sites [AP via WashPost]
The United Nations Goes Green-Streams Climate Summit Online [Mashable]
This year’s U.N.’s Climate Summit has been nicknamed the Virtual Bali Conference, with organizers encouraging its 15,000 participants to view the conference on their computers instead of flying in for the event. The conference will be available for viewing on uStream and Second Life and include features enabling participants to chat with other viewers.
NASA Site Seeks to Draw the MySpace Crowd [NYT]
NASA revamps its website with new blogs, widgets, and video content in a bid to attract 18-25-year-olds to its work in space.
WMA, Edison Network with Young Males [Hollywood Reporter]
WMA and Edison Ventures announce a new company, Games Media Properties, which will offer major brands a one-stop destination to reach 16-34-year-old male users, an average 5 million of whom visit their collection of sites each month.
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