Audionet is profiled by Evan Ramstad of the WALL STREET
JOURNAL. Ramstad: "[I]n the same way that cable brought a
huge selection of sports and news to television viewers, the
Audionet Web site gives listeners access to ... broadcasts
of college athletics, some [MLB] and all [NHL] games." The
combination of sports, news, police scanners and a 2,000
album jukebox "brings several million hits a day to the Web
site, possibly making it the busiest audio site on the Web."
While co-Founder Mark Cuban and partner Todd Wagner wouldn't
comment on profitability or revenue, they have "raised more
than" $30M in "two rounds of venture financing, with recent
investments" from Motorola, Intel and Yahoo. Looking ahead,
both said that upgrading their video pictures and "watching
out for competition" are the "two biggest challenges."
Cuban predicts that "one day there could be bidding wars for
Internet transmission rights, just as TV networks fight to
broadcast professional sports" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 2/26).
TIME TO PAY UP? The increasing number of Internet
publications available only via paid subscriptions are
examined by Jared Sandberg of the WALL STREET JOURNAL.
Sandberg: "[T]here's a bigger issue at play that affects all
Internet publishers --the cruel market reality that a Web
business plan based solely on advertising revenue is likely
to fail." Noting that publications such as Business Week,
Slate and The Economist all charge for their sites, Sandberg
writes, "If these efforts succeed, it could open the
floodgates to pay-per-view services throughout the Internet.
That development might finally stem the tide of red ink that
already has sunk many Web sites, and end a consumer's heaven
in which hundreds of magazines offered their stories gratis"
(Jared Sandberg, WALL STREET JOURNAL, 2/26).
SIT COURTSIDE: NBA.com has debuted "Courtside Live," a
new feature offering users a "courtside seat" to all NBA
games by providing in-game coverage featuring up-to-the-
minute shot charts tracking every player's shots, detailed,
live play-by-play and instantly refreshed statistics.
Courtside Live is a free service to users (NBA.com).
