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In an interview with the Financial Times Jeff Zucker, Chief Executive of NBC Universal appears to have patched things up with Apple, just a few weeks after taking NBC content off iTunes in a dispute over pricing. The quotes Zucker  …

 “We’ve said all along that we admire Apple, that we want to be in business with Apple,” …. “We’re great fans of Steve Jobs.” 

So presumably its only a matter of time before the NBC shows reappear. I always said that the best part of having an argument is the making up. All together now …. “Ahhhhhhhhhh”.

Tags: Apple, NBC Universal

Through deals with Time Inc., NBC Universal and KingWorld, mobile games publisher Limelife, is offering a range of entertainment services including “Rachael Ray Recipes on the Run,” a mobile version of People magazine and “Top Chef Challenge,” a mobile game based on the Bravo reality series. “Law & Order: The Mobile Game” is due out this spring.

More than 100 million women own cell phones in the United States.

Yankee Group analyst Mike Goodman said women spend more time playing mobile games than men, though few companies are designing games specifically to meet their interests.

The Menlo Park company has around 50 employees and has attracted investment from Monitor Ventures, U.S. Venture Partners, Rustic Canyon Partners, Core Capital Partners and i-Hatch Ventures.

www.limelife.com 

Tags: Core Capital Partners, i-Hatch Ventures, KingWorld, LimeLife, Monitor Ventures, NBC Universal, Rustic Canyon Partners, Time Inc, U.S. Venture Partners, Yankee Group

It appears that Pluck, the social network service platform favored by names like The Washington Post, The Guardian, Reuters, Gannett, NBC Universal and Hearst, may be for sale.Reports say the price may be as high as $75m with potential interest from Microsoft, Yahoo and AOL.

Founded in 2003, Pluck has raised something like $20m in investment to date: and the Reuters Group. If they get the asking price it will not be a bad return for CEO and co-founder David Panos, who started the company as a venture partner at Austin VP. Presumably if Microsoft buy Pluck the price will be more like $750 million.

www.pluck.com

Tags: Austin Venture Partners, Gannett, Hearst, Mayfield Fund, NBC Universal, Reuters, The Guardian, The Washington Post

SEATTLE, Nov 28, 2007 (BUSINESS WIRE) –
AdReady, an innovative advertising technology company, announced today the appointment of Jason Kilar, CEO of Hulu, to its board of directors. Kilar brings extensive Internet sector experience to this role, having spent nearly a decade in key management positions at Amazon.com.

As CEO of Hulu, a joint venture of News Corp. and NBC Universal, Kilar leads the growth of an online video service that aims to help people find and enjoy premium programming when, where and how they want. Previously at Amazon.com, Kilar developed the initial strategy for the company’s entry into the video and DVD businesses and ultimately became vice president and general manager of Amazon’s North American media businesses, which included the books, music, video, and DVD categories. Kilar later served as senior vice president, Worldwide Application Software, where he led an organization of hundreds of world-class technologists and he reported directly to CEO Jeff Bezos.

“Jason knows how to build scalable businesses on the Internet, and his experience at Amazon and Hulu will be invaluable as we expand,” said Aaron Finn, CEO and president of AdReady. “Jason understands first-hand the opportunities and challenges companies face as they grow, and his guidance will help us make effective choices quickly.”

“AdReady makes the luxury of effective online display advertising available to all at low-cost and in a self-service manner,” said Jason Kilar, CEO of Hulu. “I look forward to working with the management team and fellow board members to support the compelling and ambitious vision of AdReady.”

www.adready.com, www.hulu.com

[Read more]

Tags: AdReady, Amazon, Hulu, NBC Universal, News corp