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COMCAST and TIME WARNER CABLE are in discussions to fund a WiMax joint venture with SPRINT and CLEARWIRE. The current deal calls for Comcast to invest $1 billion and TWC to put in $500 million. Bright House Networks, Google and Intel may also participate. In exchange for funding, the cable companies will receive equity as well as the ability to use the networks for wireless data and voice services at wholesale rates. Of course, this is just the latest development in the ongoing cable-telco conversions, where cable delves into voice and data and telcos enter the television space.
GOOGLE announced that it will give up control of the OpenSocial application platform and establish a non-profit foundation to oversee the venture. Yahoo and MySpace have committed to joining the new entity, ensuring a large user base. OpenSocial was created as Google’s response to the Facebook application platform. It allows developers to create one application that can be deployed across all member networks with little or no additional coding. Facebook has not joined and will continue to focus on its own closed application platform.
CREATIVE ARTISTS AGENCY, PEQUOT CAPITAL and MLB ADVANCED MEDIA will unveil WePlay.com, a new social network focused on youth sports. The site will act as a hub for posting profiles, game schedules, highlight videos, car pool arrangements and just about anything related to children’s involvement in athletics. The site will also offer rare home videos of superstar athletes as children, shooting hoops in their parents’ driveways and in their high school gyms. Major athletes have been digging trough closets looking for old videotapes and memorabilia to add to the site. With the support of top athletes and the online capabilities of MLBAM, this is worth keeping an eye on.
MTV unveiled a number of short-form projects that will be offered on the network, the web and via mobile devices. The shows include “North Palm Wrestling,” a five minute sketch show, and “Anton & Crapbag,” a claymation version of Jackass. MTV also announced that it is collaborating with CollegeHumor.com to develop a network show and, most importantly, bringing Rock Band to the Wii.
SONY BMG is developing its own online music subscription service. Subscribers would pay between $9 and $12 a month for unlimited access to the entire Sony BMG catalog. The service will reportedly work with a number of devices, including the market-leading iPod. The company is looking to bring other music labels and mobile phone operators into the venture, which currently has no exact release date.