media

Guess Who's Making Money? NPR

NPR expects to make a profit this year, a surprising state of affairs for a nonprofit. But with the national debate raging about whether the federal government should stop funding public broadcasting, could NPR find itself a victim of its own success?

Earthquake Rattles Japanese Animation Industry

One of Japan's best-known exports, its unique style of animation, faces a new crisis -- a disruption in production following the recent earthquake and tsunami. The multi-billion-dollar "anime" industry has already been challenged by overseas competition and high employee turnover at home.

Apple Expands Subscription-Billing Service

Apple is broadening the content subscription-billing service it started earlier the month with News Corp.'s The Daily electronic newspaper to other magazines, newspapers, video providers and other content sources, as the company looks to further benefit from the growing contingent of people getting their news on portable devices.

Will News Corp. Sell MySpace?

News Corp. more than doubled its earnings for the fiscal second quarter, the company announced Wednesday. Part of the gain comes from a settlement charge a year earlier, which dampened year-ago earnings on a one-time basis. The company also is considering selling MySpace.

In This Corner, Netflix. In the Other Corner. . .Amazon?

Netflix, whose DVD-by-mail service hastened the demise of several video rental chains, may soon find itself under siege from Amazon. The world's largest online retailer appears to be on the verge of launching its own unlimited movie and TV-show streaming service.

Dallas-Area Companies Go Whole Hog for Super Bowl XLV

This year's NFL championship will set records both for stadium attendance and for event fund-raising, and North Texas corporations haven't been shy to put out the welcome mat for their favored clients. How much will communities and local businesses score from the big game?

New York Times's Web Subscriptions Won't Break the Bank

Wondering how much it will cost to read stories on The New York Times's website once the newspaper sets up its long-anticipated pay wall? While a final price hasn't been set yet, unidentified sources told Bloomberg News that it'll come to less than $20 per month.

Amazon to Buy European Movie-Rental Service Lovefilm

Amazon.com on Thursday announced it is buying Lovefilm, a European home-video distributor that some have called the Netflix of Europe. The deal will give the world's largest online retailer a stronger foothold in digital-video distribution. Will it buy Netflix next?

The Plot Thickens: Netflix Users Angered By Latest Digital Twist

Netflix angered customers this week by removing the option to order DVDs via videostreaming consoles and mobile devices. The news that it was eliminating the "Add to DVD Queue" button in order to focus more on streaming videos has drawn thousands of comments, many critical of the company.

Can Google's Android Undercut iTunes for News?

Google is considering a plan to expand its Android newsstand -- and heat rivalry with Apple's iTunes -- by charging publishers a lower price to sell news to Android users than the 30% fee that Apple typically charges to sell apps on iTunes. Will that be enough to attract more news?

3-D Honeymoon's Over: Box-Office Sales Fall

At least one analyst is predicting that fourth-quarter box-office sales are set to fall 12% as most 3-D movies have failed to attract big audiences this year. Even worse: The trend extends beyond movie theaters to the living room.

Nielsen Report: Many DVR Viewers Play the Commercials

Here's a nice surprise for television advertisers: Digital video recorders are actually increasing, not decreasing, the number of viewers who are watching the commercials. Nearly half of the DVR owners in the critical 18- to 49-year-old age group watch the commercials, which boosts ratings, Nielsen says.

Personalized Ads: Not Just for the Web Anymore

Soon, the Internet won't be the only medium to offer advertisers the ability to closely target specific types of customers. Starting in August or September, DirecTV plans to launch a new personalized advertising service for television. Can it bring the scope of TV to highly targeted ads?