The New York Times – By Jenna Wortham

As companies continue to put the brakes on expenditures and reduce staffs, maximizing efficiency becomes even more essential for businesses looking to weather the recession.

InsideView, a start-up based in San Francisco, is hoping to capitalize on that effort by showing businesses how the social Web can make the workplace more efficient. On Thursday, the company announced a $6.5 million round of financing led by Emergence Capital Partners and Rembrandt Venture Partners. The latest round brings InsideView’s total outside investments to $14 million since the company was started in 2005.

The company’s primary product, SalesView, acts as a sort of online divining rod. The service trawls through more than 20,000 public Web sites, social networks and public data sources like LinkedIn, Facebook, Reuters, Securities and Exchange Commission filings and even company blogs. With that information, SalesView can create company snapshots intended to help sales teams identify potential clients. (Full Article)

Patent-License Rights Related to Interactive Program Guides for Mobile-Video Programming

As part of its expansion into new platforms for video content, navigation giant Gemstar-TV Guide International reached a patent-license agreement with mobile-TV provider MobiTV.

The multiyear deal includes patent-license rights related to interactive program guides for mobile-video programming made available through the MobiTV service, both directly by MobiTV and by MobiTV for mobile- and broadband-service providers.

“Due to the ever-expanding amount of video content available, we believe interactive guidance technology is quickly becoming a must-have tool not only for the TV at home, but for other emerging platforms, including online, IPTV [Internet-protocol TV] and mobile,” said Rich Cusick, Gemstar-TV Guide’s senior vice president for digital media, in a statement. “We are pleased that MobiTV, recognized for offering the most extensive mobile entertainment experience to users on the go, and its partners will benefit from TV Guide’s guidance patents.”

Specific terms of the agreement with MobiTV — which has 3 million subscribers worldwide, with the majority in North America — were not disclosed.

This agreement is one of several Gemstar locked up over the past week.

The company announced last week that two deals were signed for use of its IPGs in Sony USA televisions and Polaroid Labs digital-video recorders and televisions.

And last month, Gemstar-TV Guide agreed to be acquired by Macrovision, a provider of digital-protection technology, in a deal worth $2.8 billion. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter.

ESPN announced it partnered with MobiTV to create ESPN Mobile TV. The 24/7 channel for wireless is designed to offer live, simulcast sports events; comprehensive and breaking sports news, mobile-exclusive programming; commentary and analysis; and real-time sports scores and game updates.

Already ESPN and MobiTV have slated college football and basketball, NBA, NASCAR, Major League Soccer, Arena Football League, Major League Lacrosse and more to air on the channel.

“MobiTV is committed to delivering the marquee TV brands consumers are used to seeing at home, and ESPN programming represents a significant milestone in our mission to deliver a home-like viewing experience to consumers, wherever they are,” said Jeff Bartee, VP of content and programming at MobiTV. “The demand for on-the-go and live sports programming has not only contributed to the success of the mobile television category, but has quickly shifted our mobile and broadband services from novelty to necessity.” (Read More)

Demonstrations and consumer trials in 2008 aim toward new mobile services, providing a potential multibillion dollar economic boost to broadcast TV and related industries

LAS VEGAS–(Business Wire)–Samsung Electronics, MobiTV, Nokia Siemens Networks, Rohde & Schwarz and SES AMERICOM’s IP-PRIME(R) today announced they will demonstrate a national distribution platform to enable mobile TV services in the United States utilizing local broadcast TV spectrum. The platform is planned to be used to showcase a complete mobile TV technology solution in 2008, with consumer trials planned in U.S. cities to be announced later. The platform will deliver local and national programming and interactive applications to consumers on mobile devices “in-band,” i.e., through local TV stations’ existing transmitters and spectrum.

The joint activity announced today will help U.S. broadcasters who are now selecting an open standard for in-band mobile broadcast TV and will pave the way for commercial launch of mobile broadcast TV services in 2009. It will enable local TV broadcasters to fully realize the value of their spectrum, bringing significant new business opportunities to the broadcasting, advertising, wireless, digital media, interactive services, and consumer electronics industries.

MobiTV: “We see A-VSB as complementary, not competitive, to wireless services,” said Alan Moskowitz, director of strategic alliances for MobiTV, Inc. “By relying on existing TV spectrum to deliver bandwidth-intensive video to mobile devices, wireless service providers have a new option for providing TV to their subscribers. In addition, MobiTV’s interactive application and VOD delivery platform will enable a new class of services combining broadcast TV and mobile data networks.” (Full Article)

MobiTV, Inc., the leader in mobile and broadband entertainment services today announced the availability of its mobile television application on the BlackBerry Pearl 8130 smartphone from Research In Motion. The BlackBerry Pearl 8130 runs on CDMA and high-speed EV-DO networks, enabling MobiTV to provide the broadest selection of live TV and other video and music content for mobile users.

“We are excited to offer our award-winning mobile television service to BlackBerry customers on the BlackBerry Pearl 8130,” said Paul Scanlan, president and co-founder of MobiTV. “This announcement furthers our goal of providing our innovative services to mobile users around the world, making our television and radio products available on more than 250 different mobile devices.”

The BlackBerry Pearl 8130 is an impressive communications and multimedia Smartphone. The availability of the MobiTV and its while-labeled products marks the first time that a full mobile TV application has been available on a BlackBerry device.

MobiTV, the mobile television solution that powers Sprint TV(TM) for Sprint and Axcess TV(TM) for Alltel, is the only mobile television application equipped to run on any wireless network, over any operating system, for more than 20 wireless providers, worldwide. Blackberry 8130 users can purchase MobiTV through their wireless provider, by visiting www.handango.com, or by selecting their device at www.mobitv.com and completing a purchase through the Handango(TM) shopping cart.

“MobiTV consistently appears in our best sellers list in the quarterly Handango Yardstick, and the application has earned numerous honors from Handango for quality and innovation,” said Monica Hamilton, vice president of content at Handango. “We look forward to seeing improved sales results now that we are able to offer this product to BlackBerry users.”

RIM will feature MobiTV as a key application partner at its booth (#30333 South Hall 3) at the Consumer Electronics Show 2008. (Full Article)

MobiTV, Inc., the leader in mobile and broadband entertainment services, predicts mobile television will reach the tipping point in ’08 as a service adopted, desired and utilized by the mainstream. In addition, MobiTV chronicles 2007 as another year of incredible progress with innovative service roll-outs, renewed commitments to development and research, and record setting subscription uptake.

“We are rapidly approaching the day where the mobile phone becomes the single most important device people own for access to everything and 2008 is shaping up to be the year the industry reaches this great milestone,” said Charlie Nooney, CEO and chairman of MobiTV. “As the first to market with live television services for Sprint, AT&T, Alltel, US Cellular and many others, our challenge for 2008 is to continue pushing the boundaries by delivering more compelling and personalized content with the cutting-edge performance our partners and millions of users have come to expect.” (Read More)

Innovation and Growth Exceeds Predictions in 2007, Looking Toward ’08 as the Year of Exponential Growth for Partner Branded Services

MobiTV, Inc., the leader in mobile and broadband entertainment services, predicts mobile television will reach the tipping point in ’08 as a service adopted, desired and utilized by the mainstream. In addition, MobiTV chronicles 2007 as another year of incredible progress with innovative service roll-outs, renewed commitments to development and research, and record setting subscription uptake.

“We are rapidly approaching the day where the mobile phone becomes the single most important device people own for access to everything and 2008 is shaping up to be the year the industry reaches this great milestone,” said Charlie Nooney, CEO and chairman of MobiTV. “As the first to market with live television services for Sprint, AT&T, Alltel, US Cellular and many others, our challenge for 2008 is to continue pushing the boundaries by delivering more compelling and personalized content with the cutting-edge performance our partners and millions of users have come to expect.” (Read More)