• Microsoft Offers Search Users Prizes by Shankar Gupta

    In an attempt to build search traffic, MSN has started offering users of its search engine a chance to win millions of dollars in prizes in a sweepstakes contest. The prizes include hotel stays; gift certificates at stores like Sephora, Starbucks, and Baby Gap; electronics; and large cash donations to charities of the users' choice. ...Read the whole story

  • Points North: Consumers Crave Web-Based TV by Gavin O'Malley

    Online media companies must arrange to make their content available on consumers' TV screens as well as their PCs. That's the conclusion of new Points North Group research slated for release today, which found that while 25 percent of Internet users are interested in watching downloaded TV shows and movies on their PCs, 38 percent expressed interest in watching that same video on their TVs. ...Read the whole story

  • Epsilon Acquires DoubleClick's E-Mail Unit by Wendy Davis

    In a major consolidation of the e-mail services industry, DoubleClick's e-mail business will be acquired by Alliance Data Systems Corp.'s Epsilon Interactive for an estimated $90 million. The deal is expected to close by the end of the first quarter. ...Read the whole story

  • Sports Illustrated Offers Swimsuit Issue On iTunes by Gavin O'Malley

    Sports Illustrated Tuesday launched a site dedicated to its swimsuit issue. Visitors have the option to either watch a selection of some 40 swimsuit model videos for free with Honda Civic pre-roll ads, or purchase the video from Apple's iTunes music store for $1.99 a piece, or $8.99 for the entire video package. ...Read the whole story

  • Tax Sites Spend Big Online, See Early Traffic Boost by Gavin O'Malley

    Traffic to Web sites that help consumers prepare for tax season has increased by 26 percent since last year, Nielsen//NetRatings reported on Tuesday. The boost follows a 371 percent increase in online ad spending by tax sites, according to Nielsen//NetRatings' AdRelevance unit. ...Read the whole story

  • Spacedog To Harness Social Sites For Carl's Jr. by Shankar Gupta

    CKE Restaurants, parent company of Carl's Jr. and Hardee's, has named Spacedog--the shop responsible for the racy "Spicy Paris" online spot that garnered so much traffic that the site's servers crashed--interactive agency of record. ...Read the whole story

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