latimes.com - Entertainment business

Electronic Arts to slash 1,500 jobs and buy Playfish

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The video game publisher, hammered by a steep drop in the sale of traditional packaged games, plans to acquire the online game developer in a deal valued at up to $400 million.

Hammered by a steep drop in the sale of traditional packaged video games, Electronic Arts Inc. on Monday said it would cut 1,500 jobs, more than 16% of its workforce, even as the game publisher announced plans to acquire online game developer Playfish Inc. in a deal valued at up to $400 million.

Google to buy AdMob in bid to reach mobile users

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

AdMob is a developer of technology that plops ads into cellphone applications.

Google Inc. took another major step in its quest to ensure that wherever consumers go -- whether to their laptops to search sports scores or videos or to their phones to find a restaurant -- advertisers will be there too.

Best Buy prepares for a shift to downloads

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The retailer is aggressively positioning itself to sell Internet-connected televisions, Blu-ray disc players, computers and phones as sales of CDs and DVDs fall.

Walking between rows of DVDs at the Best Buy store in West Hollywood, Brandy Moore admits that she doesn't always buy the shiny discs anymore since she started downloading movies and TV shows from Apple's iTunes Store. There's just one problem: She hasn't figured out how to watch them on her TV.

Former chief negotiator Nick Counter dies

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 18:20:34 -0800

Walmart, Target slash online prices of popular DVDs

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The retailers will charge $10 for top-selling new releases. The moves come as Redbox, which operates $1-a-night DVD rental kiosks, reported soaring revenue and profit.

An unprecedented round of online price cutting for DVDs started Thursday that could provide a much needed boost for the beleaguered home entertainment industry.

CBS swings to third-quarter profit of $207.6 million

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Strong rerun syndication sales of its television shows and an uptick in network TV advertising boost the broadcaster's results.

There's a glimmer in the CBS eye.

Activision posts profit despite small drop in video game sales

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Quarterly earnings are $15 million, or 1 cent a share, compared with a loss of 8 cents a share in the year-earlier period. Revenue declines 1% to $703 million.

Activision Blizzard Inc., the world's largest video game company, posted a third-quarter profit, but sales slipped slightly as consumers continued to keep close tabs on spending.

Oprah Winfrey Network names Lisa Erspamer as creative chief

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Erspamer's edge over predecessors is experience working directly with the demanding Winfrey. She is currently co-executive producer of Winfrey's daytime talk show.

The highly anticipated but delayed OWN: the Oprah Winfrey Network will soon have a chief creative executive.

Networks preparing to battle cable and maybe their own affiliates over retransmission consent

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 13:28:22 -0800

IATSE and AFI settle labor dispute

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 13:29:54 -0800