Wikinews:Briefs/Business/December 20, 2005

December 20, 2005

THQ signs with Massive Network
THQ has signed a deal with the advertising company Massive Network. Massive Network is a broker that places advertising into online games. The ads are unique in that they can change over time like billboards on the highway. In a game about rescuing hostages a hero might walk past Coca-Cola machine's one week and Pepsi the next. He may pick up a newspaper with ads for real companies in it. Advertisers get an audience, game makers get extra revenue, and game players get more realistic games. Nokia, Vivendi, Paramount, Panasonic, Warner Bros, Universal Music and Honda have already signed on. Game makers Sony, Ubisoft, and Atari have signed on as well. Massive Network says it has over 100 titles committed to carrying its ads.

Texas's largest utility, TXU, offers Internet over power lines
Texas's largest utlity, TXU Corp., in a deal with Current Communications Group plans to offer high speed Internet access over power lines in the state. TXU has agreed to pay Current Communications Group approximately $150 million over 10 years to use Current's BPL network. In the deal TXU will become an equity holder in the privately held Current. Current's other shareholders include Google Inc. and another US utility company Cinergy Corp. The deal will offer access to 2 million homes and businesses mostly in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Construction is planned to start in 2006 along TXU's 14,000 miles of transmission lines and 100,000 miles of distribution lines. Current's only existing Internet access customers are through Cinergy, where it charges between $20 to $45 monthly for speeds up to 3 megabits per second.