This morning, AtomFilms is launching what could be the first of many new production studios dedicated to producing video solely for the Web. Already a pioneer in Internet video, AtomFilms will now invest directly in the production of content, whereas before it licensed preproduced videos and short clips from independent creators. At launch, the new studio was said to be working on six projects slated for a spring release, with as many as three dozen in the pipe for release within the studio's first year. The first round of content features a Craigslist-inspired online dating reality series. Atom Entertainment, the …

This year's Super Bowl advertisers are also pouring millions of dollars into Internet campaigns, seeking to reach fans looking at highlights, stats and promos on sports pages across the Web. Everyone from major Web portals to search engines like Google and Ask.com are benefiting from both a surge in traffic and a spike in demand for keywords related to the biggest sports game of the year. As one advertising executive says, "If you're going to spend the money on the Super Bowl, to not take advantage of search advertising just seems silly." The Walt Disney Company's ABC, which is broadcasting …

On Thursday, Google was subpoenaed by a federal judge to turn over a week's worth of search queries in a case that doesn't directly involve the search giant. Google promptly refused the request, saying it would "vigorously" fight efforts by the Bush administration to use the company's data in its investigation. The administration is trying to revive an Internet child protection law overturned by the Supreme Court two years ago. The government says it needs Google's data to determine how often pornography appears in online searches. According to court documents, Google opposes the move on a variety of grounds, saying …

Billionaire corporate troublemaker Carl Icahn continues to mobilize his forces in an attempt to uproot Time Warner's board of directors. Dow Jones reports that the corporate raider is planning to propose a merger of AOL, Time Warner's entertainment businesses, and a smaller unnamed Internet portal. According to the report, Icahn wants to see AOL come together with Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, HBO and Turner's cable networks. Icahn has also held discussions with operators of a small number of Web portals. In a prepared statement, Time Warner said it would study any proposition by Icahn and the investment firm Lazard …

According to Goldman Sachs, online auctioneer eBay has the "best business model" on the Web, despite its projection of lower than expected second quarter earnings. In a research note, analyst Anthony Noto maintained eBay's "outperform" rating due to a business model that "remains relatively insulated from the heightened competition within e-commerce." He believes eBay still has ample room for growth in the U.S., its most mature market, estimating that some 20 to 30 percent of online shoppers still don't use the service. Soto also said the company's recent acquisitions, the VoIP service Skype, Shopping.com , and Verisign--which could have advertising …

Newly made millionaire Alex Tew, founder of the Web site the Million Dollar Homepage, a site that has created a collage of one million pixels sold to advertisers at $1 each, has had a rough couple of weeks. After his site sustained a denial of service attack that shut it down for six days, one of his advertisers threatened to sue for the time lost. Eliger Kliger, owner of milliondollarweightloss.com, won an auction on eBay for the last 1,000 pixels last week, right before the denial of service attack shut down the site. While no legal action has been reported …

If the acquisition goes through, Steve Jobs could soon become the largest shareholder in the Mouse House, according to a report by Reuters, but interestingly enough, it's unclear whether The Walt Disney Company is wooing his Pixar Animation Studios--or vice versa. It was revealed on Thursday that Disney is in talks to buy Pixar for $6.7 billion in stock, a move which, at the very least, would bring Jobs, who is also CEO of Apple Computer, a prominent position on Disney's board. The move could potentially have massive implications for Internet media, to which Disney and other media giants like …

Scott Kessler, the technology group head for Standard & Poor's Equity Research who recently downgraded Google's stock to "sell" from "hold," spoke with Business Week about his reasons for doing so. He says investors should know the ABCs of Google risk. "A" is for absence, as in absence of revenue diversification. Google is a one-trick pony, generating 99 percent of its revenue from search and contextual advertising. "B" is for building competition--as in, competition that's growing. Even though it has several Internet revenue streams, Yahoo! has invested enormously in search and will continue to compete aggressively. Microsoft this year is …

Google makes 99 percent of its revenue from search advertising. So where, exactly, is it headed? Will its efforts at diversification pay off? To be sure, the company has grown new media tentacles: Google's in broadband video and satellite maps, and it's buying print ads, radio companies, and library content. Even so, as Business Week points out, Google still has lots of room to grow in online advertising, its core competency area. The search giant's sales team has been going to major advertisers with contextual network packages developed solely for such big clients. Recently, Google sat down with investment firm …

Google has been rated the No. 1 search engine in China, according to new research. The study, conducted by Keynote Systems, focused on 1,200 user reactions to the four leading search engines in China: Alibaba/Yahoo!, Baidu, Google China and Sohu/Sogou. Search Engine Watch said it was "moderately surprising" that Google came first, nudging out Chinese Web traffic leader Baidu. Alibaba/Yahoo! finished third, and Sohu/Sogou finished bottom. The study measured each search engine's ability to complete user queries, as well as controlled queries directed by Keynote. In addition, Keynote measured certain behavioral, qualitative and quantitative data sets. Google outperformed its competitors …