Hoop Streams
The National Basketball Association broadcast its first live, streaming video of a game online this month in conjunction with RealNetworks. Under a partnership with the league, RealNetworks streams audio-only feeds of NBA games to subscribers. Both companies expected the broadcast to draw a worldwide audience for the Dallas Mavericks-Sacramento Kings game.
IBM: Just Chillin
Its either the Silly Idea of the Week or a killer application for the wireless Web. Last week IBM said it has created a service, MyAppliance.com, that will let owners of Web-enabled Carrier air conditioners remotely set the temperature and switch units on and off using wireless phones or handheld computers.
UMG Nabs EMusic
Universal Music Group last week said it will buy EMusic.com, which was among the first companies to offer an Internet music subscription service, in a stock deal worth $24.6 million. The deal came a week after Universal announced that its joint venture with Sony Music Entertainment, Duet, will offer a music subscription service on Yahoo! this summer.
Open-Source Storage
Intel — in a move it promises will make storage systems cheaper and easier to manage — is backing the Small Computer Systems Interface over Internet Protocol (iSCSI) specification, a protocol that carries traffic over Ethernet networks. Last week, Intel released open-source software that implements iSCSI.
NBC Buys Back NBCi
NBC last week said it will pay $85 million to acquire the two-thirds share of NBC Internet it doesnt already own. The company will combine NBCi #&151; which will lay off an unspecified number of its 300 employees #&151; into its other operations. Will Lansing, NBCis CEO, said he will leave the company after a transition period.
Kana Buys Broadbase
Kana Communications, a customer relationship management software vendor, last week said it will buy Broadbase Software in a stock swap worth $75.8 million. The combined company will be called Kana Software and will have more than 1,300 customers. Broadbase sells customer analysis and marketing automation applications.