Kanye West goes into
online travel

Ad Networks and Analytics:

• CEO Matt Sanchez admitted Videoegg will incorporate non-video ad inventory because the in-video ad market is still small.
• 18,000 broadband users in the UK unknowingly had their behavior tracked by BT and Phorm in '06, part of a pilot test of Phorm's controversial behavioral ad-targeting platform.
• The Association for Downloadable Media will use the upcoming ad:tech San Francisco trade show to unveil new ad standards and guidelines for, well, downloadable media producers and advertisers.
• MediaEquals is introducing an online platform for buying and selling offline ad inventory.

Agencies and Execs:

• Google is cutting DoubleClick employees, mainly in the US. It is also selling Performics, the search engine optimization firm.
• Globalspec is positioning itself as an ad and media resource for agencies with industrial-sector clients.
• TBWA\India has named Shiv Sethuraman CEO. He joins the firm in mid-June.
• Euro RSCG bought independent interactive firm Kadium and is integrating the shop — which focuses on mobile, digital and buzz campaigns — into its San Francisco office.
• WhenU was acquired by Vomba Networks, wedding two adware firms with reputations excellent and questionable, respectively.

Legal, Government and Regulation:

• FCC chairman Kevin Martin will reject Skype's petition to open wireless networks, citing a need to protect the interests of telephone companies.
• The House Energy and Commerce Committee has signaled it will expand its investigation into false claims by pharmaceutical marketers to include more drugs.
• Apple is being sued by a man claiming iMac display ads touting "millions of colors" are deceptive. The 20-inch display only reflects 262,144 actual colors.

Mobile:

• Google may buy VOIP platform Skype from Ebay, which has repeatedly failed to monetize Skype successfully.
• Millennial Media will be responsible for delivering banner and text ads on the Verizon Wireless network. Remainders will be sold in-house or through other partners.
• Fox Business Network will offer full-length episodes of shows to subscribers of MobiTV.
• Digital shop Organic is partnering with mobile networking company Socialight for Urban MixTape, a mobile app that lets people recommend local hotspots to friends.
• AT&T's Ralph de la Vega reversed his once-cool stance on Google's Android mobile project. He now says it's something he'd like to add to his tool chest.
• Microsoft announced it's bringing an improved mobile browser to users that want the desktop browsing experience on handhelds.
• A report from Gartner says mobile ad revenue will top $2.7 billion in '08, up from '07's $1.7 billion, driven largely by higher-quality mobile device displays and better targeting technology.
• The Weather Channel is making good on its intent to focus on mobile platforms and is testing ads on its mobile sites.
• VH1 is rolling out a mobile chat application that allows people to participate in discussions of VH1 programming as the shows are being aired.
• Local nightlife aggregator Buzzd will add V-Enable's Mobile411 search tool to its mobile front page.

Online Content:

• Jana Partners is guiding disgruntled CNET investors down the path to revenue reconstruction. A search revamp, and tie-in with Google and DoubleClick, are not out of the question.
• A major part of NBC's 2008-2009 lineup announcement involved webisode extensions of popular shows like The Office, 30 Rock and Heroes.
• Blinkx, which focuses on video ads and search, is launching a P2P-based broadband TV service for independent films and programming.
• Kanye West hopes celebrity will help sell travel information. His new venture KanyeTravel.com helps users plot low-cost travel adventures.
• Publishing powerhouse Tina Brown and IAC head Barry Diller are partnering on a news aggregation site that will compete in the same market as HuffPo.
• If you've missed Jessica Rose, the star of LonelyGirl15, she's back in a new web series, Blood Cell.

Tools and Software:

• New functionality from Google enables users to send results from Google Maps to a Garmin navigational device.
• Magnify used YouTube's new API to create VidyUp, which lets users upload videos to YouTube from a widget on their websites.
• Zillow debuted Mortgage Marketplace, connecting buyers with lenders in an environment where those seeking mortgages can compare offers and find what best suits their needs.

Virtual Worlds:

• Playboy has found virtual success by inviting in-world Second Life designers to create Playboy-themed products that can be sold on the publisher's island.