http://boathouse.pmhclients.com/index.php/news/ en info@sparkcapital.com Copyright 2010 2010-02-22T17:37:15-05:00 http://www.sparkcapital.com/index.php/news/article/oneriots_new_realtime_search_api_served_up_with_a_side_of_revenue/ http://www.sparkcapital.com/index.php/news/article/oneriots_new_realtime_search_api_served_up_with_a_side_of_revenue/#When:18:37:15Z Last summer, realtime search engine OneRiot was one of the first engines to debut an API to allow developers to integrated OneRiot’s search results into their applications. Less than a year later, OneRiot is seeing 97 percent of its total searches coming through its API. Today, OneRiot is rolling out a new version of its search API, which includes support for for RiotWise, OneRiot’s ad network, enabling developers to make money off of search results. Additional new features include the ability to deliver vertical and domain-specific search experiences for their users. Company Type, Applications, Article Type, In The News, Company, OneRiot 2010-02-22T18:37:15-05:00 http://www.sparkcapital.com/index.php/news/article/ipwireless_announces_availability_of_first_3gpp_integrated_mobile_broadcast/ http://www.sparkcapital.com/index.php/news/article/ipwireless_announces_availability_of_first_3gpp_integrated_mobile_broadcast/#When:15:30:28Z IPWireless, a pioneer in developing key enabling IMB technology, today announced that it has designed an interoperability test (IOT) platform that will allow device and network infrastructure vendors to verify their IMB solutions for interoperability. The IMB IOT platform will bridge the requirements of mobile operators and those of their device and network infrastructure vendor partners, thus enabling both parties to accelerate the time to market of their commercial IMB solutions. IMB was defined in the 3GPP release 8 standards, and was recently endorsed by the GSMA as the preferred method for the efficient delivery of broadcast services. IPWireless will make its IMB technology, which includes solutions for both network infrastructure vendors and device vendors, available for IMB interoperability testing in the second quarter of 2010. The User Equipment (UE) solution supports full integration with a next generation 3G UE solution from a leading 3G semiconductor company to allow vendors to test the full capabilities of IMB. The Infrastructure IMB IOT platform will feature IPWireless’ operational Node B IMB transmitter. Company Type, Infrastructure, Article Type, In The News 2010-02-17T15:30:28-05:00 http://www.sparkcapital.com/index.php/news/article/googles_android_to_run_bug_labs_devices_expand_beyond_phones/ http://www.sparkcapital.com/index.php/news/article/googles_android_to_run_bug_labs_devices_expand_beyond_phones/#When:14:47:02Z Google Inc.’s Android open-source operating system will run on Bug Labs Inc. devices, expanding its hardware lineup and developer community beyond mobile phones and netbooks. Bug Labs announced the support for Google’s software, currently operating on smartphones by Dell Inc., HTC Corp. and Acer Inc., in a statement at the Mobile World Congress wireless industry conference in Barcelona today. The New York-based startup makes electronic modules that snap together, allowing consumers to determine the shape and function of their gadgets. Company Type, Platforms, Article Type, In The News, Company, Bug Labs 2010-02-17T14:47:02-05:00 http://www.sparkcapital.com/index.php/news/article/nearly_75_million_people_visited_twitters_site_in_january_comscore/ http://www.sparkcapital.com/index.php/news/article/nearly_75_million_people_visited_twitters_site_in_january_comscore/#When:14:44:18Z After hitting a flat spot last fall, Twitter’s worldwide growth is pointing in the right direction again. According to worldwide comScore figures released today, Twitter’s own site attracted 73.5 million unique individuals in January, up 8 percent from December, 2009 (when it had 65.2 million visitors). Its annual growth rate is still a phenomenal 1,105 percent. A year ago, Twitter.com attracted only an estimated 6 million visitors. Large sites like Twitter and Facebook before it tend to grow in step-like patterns, with bursts of growth followed by periods of flatness during which the site absorbs its new users and adapts to their needs. Twitter has certainly been improving the functionality of its own site, with the rollout of new features such as local trends, a better suggested user list, Twitter Lists, and the Retweet button. Maybe all that work is starting to pay off. Company Type, Platforms, Article Type, In The News, Company, Twitter 2010-02-17T14:44:18-05:00 http://www.sparkcapital.com/index.php/news/article/adap.tv_launches_the_first_video_advertising_marketplace/ http://www.sparkcapital.com/index.php/news/article/adap.tv_launches_the_first_video_advertising_marketplace/#When:20:50:33Z Adap.tv, creators of the onesource video ad management platform for publishers, today launched the first video advertising marketplace. The adap.tv marketplace (atm) is the first to enable marketers, ad agencies, publishers and ad networks to buy and sell in-stream video ads with complete transparency and control. The company is leveraging the success of its onesource platform to open the marketplace with significant scale: as of today buyers can access hundreds of sites and billions of video ad impressions. Over the past year, online video has become a must-buy for advertisers and a critical revenue source for publishers, since it combines the engagement of TV ads with the precision of online targeting and measurement. However, online video campaign planning and execution has presented challenges for both buyers and sellers, owing to the diversity of platforms and the slow adoption of format standards. By putting advertisers and publishers on a shared technology platform, providing a simple transaction mechanism, and a rich set of controls, the adap.tv marketplace makes it easy and risk-free to buy and sell online video ads. Company Type, Platforms, Article Type, In The News, Company, Adap.tv 2010-02-16T20:50:33-05:00 http://www.sparkcapital.com/index.php/news/article/in_english-crazy_china_8d_world_teaches_kids_to_speak_in_virtual_worlds_lan/ http://www.sparkcapital.com/index.php/news/article/in_english-crazy_china_8d_world_teaches_kids_to_speak_in_virtual_worlds_lan/#When:16:19:17Z In China, learning spoken English is giving rise to a huge and growing market. For instance, in addition to English classes in public schools, parents send their children to about 50,000 for-profit training schools around the country, where English is the most popular subject. Instead of American Idol, on CCTV, the national government-owned TV network, they have the Star of Outlook English Talent Competition. This is possibly the largest nationwide competition in China. Last year, 400,000 students between the ages of 6 and 14 took part in it. This year, the competition is adding a virtual twist, and a startup based in Massachusetts called 8D World is at the center of it. 8D World runs a virtual world called Wiz World Online for Chinese-speaking kids who want to learn English. Company Type, Services, Article Type, In The News, Company, 8D World 2010-02-16T16:19:17-05:00 http://www.sparkcapital.com/index.php/news/article/next_new_networks_sees_300_million_views_in_2009_approaches_profitability/ http://www.sparkcapital.com/index.php/news/article/next_new_networks_sees_300_million_views_in_2009_approaches_profitability/#When:20:13:40Z Online television studio Next New Networks is reporting a few milestones today, releasing news that the network has seen over 300 million views across its networks in 2009. The company also claims it doubled revenue from 2008 to 2009 and saw a 70% increase in the number of sponsors. Next New Networks builds internet based “micro television networks” for targeted niche communities. Over the past few years, Next New Networks restructured and reshuffled its executive team and staff, bringing in Lance Podell as CEO in late 2008 and added a new chief of programming Kathleen Grace in 2009. Company Type, Content, Article Type, In The News, Company, Next New Networks 2010-02-10T20:13:40-05:00 http://www.sparkcapital.com/index.php/news/article/admeld_assembles_online_thought_leaders_execs_to_discuss_impact_future_of_r/ http://www.sparkcapital.com/index.php/news/article/admeld_assembles_online_thought_leaders_execs_to_discuss_impact_future_of_r/#When:19:12:23Z During his opening address at the AdMeld Partner Forum 2010, Michael Barrett, AdMeld’s CEO, discussed rapid emergence of Real Time Bidding (RTB) as a platform for buying and selling ad inventory. Barrett cited factors such as enhanced pricing, efficiency, transparency and control of data as reasons for the technology’s growth and said it had the potential to bring billions of additional dollars to the display ad market. Barrett also introduced the forum’s keynote speaker, Emily Riley, Research Director & Principal Analyst at Forrester, who outlined key findings of a study conducted by Forrester Consulting and commissioned by AdMeld titled “Media Buying Goes Real Time.” The study, which is available for download on AdMeld’s website at http://www.admeld.com/resources, discusses the inefficiencies of current methods of media buying and how improving them can open up new opportunities for companies on both sides of the transaction. Company Type, Platforms, Article Type, In The News, Company, Admeld 2010-02-05T19:12:23-05:00 http://www.sparkcapital.com/index.php/news/article/nbc_universal_selects_kickapps_social_software_and_video_solutions1/ http://www.sparkcapital.com/index.php/news/article/nbc_universal_selects_kickapps_social_software_and_video_solutions1/#When:17:28:55Z NBC Universal Interactive and KickApps, the industry’s first complete Social Software solution today announced a broad licensing agreement including the latest version of the award winning App Studio and recently released Premium Social Video platform. Expanding on an existing relationship with NBC Local Media, the new agreement includes full access to the KickApps platform for a variety of NBC Universal sites, including a unique socially driven fan site launching from Telemundo in the coming months. Using the KickApps platform will allow NBC Universal to launch increasingly socially integrated site and video features, driving deeper user engagement and interest in their world-class content. Company Type, Platforms, Article Type, In The News, Company, KickApps 2010-02-04T17:28:55-05:00 http://www.sparkcapital.com/index.php/news/article/nbc_universal_selects_kickapps_social_software_and_video_solutions/ http://www.sparkcapital.com/index.php/news/article/nbc_universal_selects_kickapps_social_software_and_video_solutions/#When:17:19:58Z NBC Universal Interactive and KickApps, the industry’s first complete Social Software solution today announced a broad licensing agreement including the latest version of the award winning App Studio and recently released Premium Social Video platform. Expanding on an existing relationship with NBC Local Media, the new agreement includes full access to the KickApps platform for a variety of NBC Universal sites, including a unique socially driven fan site launching from Telemundo in the coming months. Using the KickApps platform will allow NBC Universal to launch increasingly socially integrated site and video features, driving deeper user engagement and interest in their world-class content. ”We’re really excited about the KickApps App Studio- it’s by far the most advanced solution we’ve seen for publishing and managing social media, and it’s going to make a huge difference in our ability to quickly build and launch socially powered sites for our brands,” said Marc Siry, SVP of Digital Products and Services for NBC Universal. “Additionally, their support for the Open Source Media Framework was a key differentiator in our decision to work with KickApps for our premium social video needs- we truly believe it will help us innovate quickly for our brand and advertising partners.” Company Type, Platforms, Article Type, In The News, Company, KickApps 2010-02-04T17:19:58-05:00