Tech briefs for November 27, 2000

Monday, Nov. 27, 2000 | 11:39 a.m.

USA Networks consolidates Ticketmaster operations

LOS ANGELES -- USA Networks is consolidating its Ticketmaster and Citysearch operations in a deal valued at $653 million.

USA split its concert ticketing division in 1998. It retained its privately held Ticketmaster Corp. while spinning off its online ticketing service, which then merged with Citysearch, an online city events guide.

The new company, Ticketmaster Online-Citysearch Inc., went public in December 1998. USA networks retained 49 percent of the company.

In the deal announced last week, USA will contribute Ticketmaster Corp. to TMCS in exchange for 52 million shares. USA will own 68 percent of the new company.

The company said the deal will help Ticketmaster expand globally.

Terry Barnes, chairman and chief executive officer of TMCS will become co-chairman of the new company. Barry Diller, chairman and chief executive officer of USA Networks, will also serve as co-chairman.

China website rule limits foreigners

China has barred foreign companies from assigning Chinese-language Internet addresses to websites based in China, shutting companies like VeriSign of Mountain View, Calif., out of the lucrative market.

China's Information Industry Ministry posted a notice on its Web site that said only the semiofficial China Internet Network Information Center had the authority to register Chinese-character Web addresses, or domain names.

The information center, in turn, has named nine domestic companies to act as its agent in the registrations. VeriSign and the information center began competing Chinese character domain name registration services earlier this month.

AOL in pact with audio news service

AudioBasket, a company in San Francisco that offers computer users a customized audio news and information service, has reached agreement with America Online to become a feature on Spinner, the AOL music player. Terms were not disclosed.

AudioBasket will also be made available on other AOL properties like AOL.com, Netscape and ICQ. AudioBasket users can choose to receive content from media outlets like ABCNews.com, CNN Radio, Entertainment Weekly magazine and National Public Radio.

More companies trying Internet advertising

The number of companies advertising online for the first time has more than doubled since January, according to AdRelevance, a Jupiter Media Metrix company, growing by 157 percent the last 10 months.

In the third quarter of 2000, 5,489 advertisers came online for the first time, far surpassing the first and second quarters, which saw 2,935 and 3,879 new advertisers, respectively.

Also, while traditional advertisers accounted for about 41 percent of the top 100 new online advertisers in January, they made up close to 50 percent in October.