Predicting the company will lose $1-$1.5 million in 2006, Audible CEO Don Katz nonetheless offered several reasons for optimism this year, including new partnerships, reduced churn and positive feedback from new tiered offerings. A late launch to its revamped website and higher than expected marketing and operating expenses pushed down the firm’s 2005 financials, Audible said in releasing preliminary results. It expects $62-$64 million revenue in 2006, down from $62-$65 million in prior guidance, which also predicted net income of $1.6-$2 million. But Katz, speaking to a Citigroup investor conference late Tues., reassured investors that the firm was solid in its core subscription market and didn’t expect a challenge from Apple, which offers its downloads a la carte.
The top-selling PC game in the U.S. during the week ended Dec. 31 was The Sims 2 from Electronic Arts (EA), according to NPD Group data. The game was #5 one week earlier. Microsoft’s Age of Empires III dropped from the top spot to #2… The best-selling game in Europe for the week ended Jan. 7 was again EA’s Need for Speed Most Wanted, according to the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Assn. Chart Track data. The game was also again the top-rented videogame in the U.S., according to Rentrak’s preliminary Home Video Essentials data for the week ended Jan. 8… Tecmo’s Dead or Alive 4 for Xbox 360 was the #1-rented videogame for GameFly in the week ended Jan. 9. It was #4 last week.
The International Trade Administration (ITA) has initiated an antidumping (AD) duty changed circumstances review of the AD duty order on certain forged stainless steel flanges from India, to determine whether Hilton Metal Forgings, Ltd. is the successor-in-interest to Hilton Forge.
On the heels of its U.S. court-approved settlement, Sony BMG was sued in Canadian courts over its copy- protection technologies involving spyware. A suit in Ontario Superior Court of Justice seeks $50 million in general damages and $50 million in special damages on a nationwide basis. A suit in the Supreme Court of British Columbia makes the same claims but doesn’t specify damages. The suits claim violations of Canada’s Competition Act and Personal Information & Electronic Documents Act, a more stringent privacy statute than U.S. federal law has. Both ask for “punitive, aggravated, and exemplary damages” for each class member, and 2% interest before and after judgment until payment of any award.
On the heels of its U.S. court-approved settlement, Sony BMG was sued in Canadian courts over its copy- protection technologies involving spyware. A suit in Ontario Superior Court of Justice seeks $50 million in general damages and $50 million in special damages on a nationwide basis. A suit in the Supreme Court of British Columbia makes the same claims but doesn’t specify damages.
Take-Two Interactive warned late Thurs. its fiscal 2006 results will be “significantly below” internal and outside expectations due mainly to “continued uncertainties related to the retail environment and the timing and consumer acceptance of new videogame hardware and software.” The firm also traced its lower estimate to “the timing of [its] new product releases during 2006.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued its weekly quota commodity report as of January 3, 2006. This report includes tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) on various products such as beef, tuna, sugar, dairy products, peanuts, cotton, cocoa powder, tobacco, certain JFTA, MFTA, NAFTA, SFTA, UAFTA and UCFTA TRQs, etc. This report also includes the AGOA, ATPDEA, CBTPA, MFTA, NAFTA, SFTA, and UCFTA (CFTA) tariff preference levels (TPLs) for qualifying apparel and/or other textile articles, the TRQs on worsted wool fabrics, etc. (CBP's weekly quota commodity report, dated 01/03/06, available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/import/textiles_and_quotas/commodity/)
The WiMedia Alliance, an advocate for one of 2 major ultra-wideband standards, said Thurs. it will hold a Jan. 23 interoperability test, in hopes of launching a certification program later this year. The first devices containing UWB chipsets are expected to hit retail shelves this year. Both WiMedia and competing Freescale technology are presenting this week at CES. The WiMedia Alliance, which represents Intel, Texas Instruments and other firms, said members have started preliminary interoperability testing. “Now that we have a formal industry framework for these events, we anticipate extremely productive sessions with strong participation as companies prepare to ready devices for certification,” said Intel’s Brad Hosler, chmn. of the WiMedia Alliance Certification & Interoperability Committee.
iAnywhere joined ultrawideband standards bodies UWB Forum and WiMedia Alliance the Sybase subsidiary said Thurs. That means the firm will help set standards merging the benefits of UWB’s high data rate transfer capabilities with the maturity of the Bluetooth software protocol and application profiles. Meanwhile, the WiMedia Alliance said it will hold a Jan. 23 interoperability test, in hopes of launching a certification program later this year. The first devices containing UWB chipsets are expected to hit retail shelves this year. Both WiMedia and competing Freescale technology are presenting this week at CES. The WiMedia Alliance, which represents Intel, Texas Instruments and other firms, said members have started preliminary interoperability testing. “Now that we have a formal industry framework for these events, we anticipate extremely productive sessions with strong participation as companies prepare to ready devices for certification,” said Intel’s Brad Hosler, chmn. of the WiMedia Alliance Certification & Interoperability Committee.
Need for Speed Most Wanted from Electronic Arts (EA) was again the top-rented videogame in the U.S. in its 7th week, according to Rentrak’s preliminary Home Video Essentials data for the week ended Jan. 1. EA had 2 more top 10 SKUs: Madden NFL 06 for PS2 at #2 (up 4 in its 21st week) and the Xbox version of Most Wanted at #10 (down 8). No new games made the top 10. But Take-Two Interactive’s Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for PS2 returned to the top 10, jumping to #3 from #31 in its 62nd week. Its Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition for PS2 also returned to the top 10, leaping from #34 to #9 in its 38th week… Most Wanted was the #1-selling game in the U.K. for the week ended Dec. 31, according to the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Assn.’s Chart Track data. It was #2 the week before. This time, it knocked Ubisoft’s Peter Jackson’s King Kong from the top spot to #2… GameFly said Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones for Xbox was the top-rented game for it in the week ended Jan. 3. The PS2 SKU was #2. The top 10 included 4 Xbox 360 games, led by King Kong at #3. Following it were Tecmo’s Dead or Alive 4 at #4, Sega’s Condemned Criminal Origins at #5 and Activision’s Call of Duty 2 at #7. The Xbox and PS2 SKUs of King Kong were #8 and #9, respectively.