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New Media News Every Morning

kyte.tv takes self expression to the next level

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kyte.jpgA new type of TV is being launched today, enabling people to be the star, director, and producer of their own live TV channel both online and on-the-go. Offering a real breakthrough in self expression, kyte.tv allows users to easily create interactive TV shows that are instantly broadcast to multiple destinations. Personally-branded channels can be placed on any website, blog, social network, and mobile phone, allowing users to connect and socialize in real-time through features such as chatting and voting — wherever and whenever.

“kyte.tv brings together three trends — user-generated content, social networking, and mobile services — in a unique way. This is a fundamental change in entertainment and broadcasting for the masses. It’s TV that’s created by the audience for their audiences, with unique collaborative and social features — it’s TV out of the box,” said Daniel Graf, co-founder and CEO of kyte. “User-generated pictures, videos, and content are already shaping social expression — kyte.tv takes it to the next level by allowing people to share their life experiences and their creativity in a highly social and interactive way and in real-time.” [Read more…]

Originally posted on April 23, 2007 @ 9:51 am

MTV’s University, ROO to bring video to 500 campus papers

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mtvu.jpgMTV’s mtvU, a 24-hour university network, and internet video specialist ROO, announced a partnership to offer a best-in-breed video player and customisable video channels to the more than 500 online US university newspapers in mtvU’s College Publisher network.

Each of the network’s student-run publications will now have free access to a customisable, private-label video player and a wide variety of on-demand content channels – including news, sports and entertainment from leading providers such as The Associated Press, Reuters and many other leading brands. The ROO content team will work closely with mtvU to develop and secure new original video exclusively for this growing network. The ROO player will also enable the online student newspapers to distribute their own video content, or to partner with a university’s TV station to make its programming available worldwide.

“Partnering with ROO reflects our commitment to empower student publications with cutting-edge digital tools that benefit their readers, business and staff,” said Stephen Friedman, GM, mtvU.

Originally posted on April 19, 2007 @ 9:49 am

Circuit City teams up with Napster for new digital music service

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napster.jpgBuilding on the combination of strong offerings of both music CDs and MP3 players, Circuit City Stores, Inc. announced that it is joining with Napster to offer a new digital music service, Circuit City + Napster, for consumers to explore and enjoy music.

The new service will be powered by Napster’s digital music subscription service and will include all the same music discovery and community features such as personalized recommendations, message boards, and the ability to browse other members’ collections and share music and play lists. In addition, all customers at Circuit City + Napster will enjoy continuing access to exclusive songs and new releases on a weekly basis.

Starting April 29, 2007, consumers can sign up for Circuit City + Napster at www.circuitcity.com/napster and gain unlimited access to millions of songs on their PCs and compatible digital music devices for $14.95 per month. New subscribers will receive the first month of access free of charge, along with five free song downloads. Consumers will also find information about Circuit City + Napster and the introductory offer at Circuit City stores nationwide and on Circuitcity.com.

Originally posted on April 20, 2007 @ 11:03 am

Chicago Tribune gets local with Triblocal

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triblocal.jpgThe Chicago Tribune announced the introduction of Triblocal, a local community publishing service in two portions of Chicago’s western and southwestern suburbs. Beginning today on triblocal.com, community contributors have the ability to post stories, photos and events about their hometowns and comment on postings from other contributors.

Content and photos from the site will be used to develop a print publication that will debut later this year and be distributed with the Chicago Tribune in those communities. Triblocal editorial staff will provide enhanced coverage of these communities both online and in print.

“We’re constantly working to better serve the changing needs of our readers and their communities,” said Owen Youngman, senior vice president/strategy and development of Chicago Tribune Company. “Triblocal is designed to meet the needs of a growing population who want to share news and information that’s truly relevant to their lives, while also delivering a vital, engaged audience to advertisers.”

Originally posted on April 19, 2007 @ 9:14 am

Votigo launches online social video and photo contest community

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votigo.jpgVotigo, Inc., announced the official launch of its free, online community that allows any business, band, organization or individual to create and customize their own online video or photo contest. Votigo believes strongly in the benefits of online contests as an entertaining way to encourage customer loyalty and build community in a controlled environment.

“Contests provide marketers a great way to engage their customer base and safely participate in social media,” said Mike La Rotonda, CEO and co-founder of Votigo. “Votigo makes it easy for any company, large or small, to set up and customize their own contest in a matter of minutes. And for users creating their own contests, it’s an exciting and fun new way to showcase and share their photos and videos.”

In addition to user-generated contests, Votigo is currently running sponsored contests for several partners including Michael Eisner’s PromQueen, The Motley Fool, and Santa Cruz Snowboards.

Originally posted on April 19, 2007 @ 11:28 am