InternetNews Staff

The French Internet advertising market is expected to double or triple this year as more and more people go online and more companies use the Net as a medium to reach their audience, according to experts at the MILIA multimedia fair in Cannes. “In France, the ad spending on banners on the Net was 4.5 […]

A group of Web advertising and interactive industry veterans in San Francisco plans to launch Adauction.com, described as a “value- priced online ad auction channel for media buyers to purchase discounted ad inventory and reach targeted audiences.” San Francisco-based Adauction.com also will provide Internet publishers a complementary sales channel offering real-time, opportunistic buys at the […]

Avilar Technologies is now shipping its WebMentor training software which allows organizations to create, manage and deliver training courses via the Internet. “WebMentor creates an Internet-based training environment that enables training on any subject to anyone, anywhere, anytime. This product revolutionizes continuing education by eliminating the cost and inconvenience of instructor-based training or education,” said […]

InfoSpace Inc. and McLeodUSA Publishing Co. said they formed a strategic partnership to bring enhanced local advertising to yellow pages on the Internet. McLeodUSA produces and distributes nearly 15 million proprietary telephone directories for 166 markets in 21 states, reaching a distribution population of nearly 27 million. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. […]

CMG Information Services Inc. said that Japan’s Sumitomo Corp. agreed to make a $10 million equity investment in CMG. The companies said they will explore and develop joint Internet initiatives, leveraging CMG businesses in Japan’s fast-growing technology marketplace. Specifics of the investment were not disclosed. Andover, MA-based CMG operates and/or finances some of the Web’s […]

Daystar Media Group said it has begun operations based in Marlboro, MA. The new shop said it will provide CGI (computer graphics imaging), animation, multimedia and corporate communications, audio and Web page development for the high-tech, gaming, feature film, and advertising industries in New England. Daystar said its staff of artists, animators, project managers, and […]

Engage Technologies rolled out Engage.Knowledge, a suite of services and enabling technology that leverage the company’s behavioral database of Web visitors for use in real-time targeting applications and Web market research. Engage is a wholly owned subsidiary of Andover, MA-based CMG Information Services Inc. “Engage-Enabled” Web sites will have access to the Engage database of […]

IBM consolidated its agency roster for worldwide direct and interactive marketing to four shops from a field of 30. Combined billings are estimated at more than $100 million. “We expect this decision will ensure a greater integration and brand consistency across our advertising and direct marketing activities,” Abby Kohnstamm, vice president for corporate marketing at […]

Curiocity said it will create and host exclusive promotional material on its FreeZone online community for kids Web site for DreamWorks’ next two family movies: “Paulie” and “Small Soldiers.” The sites (freezone.com/Paulie) and (freezone.com/small-soldiers) will premiere in mid-March. FreeZone Web claims nearly 3 million page views a month. Financial terms of the arrangement were not […]

Persistence Software introduced a new application server technology called PowerTier, saying that it accelerates standard Web and client/server applications “by factors of 10 to over 100 times.” The technology is already in use at bankers JP Morgan where it runs a new $1 trillion Swaps/Derivatives application. “The first wave of Internet applications could get by […]

Promosis Inc. a Marblehead, MA-based promotion-marketing firm, developed an online travel promotion for the latest release of Planet Direct’s personal Web service. The interactive sweepstakes and instant-win game, entitled “Around the Planet in 80 Days,” was conceived, designed, and programmed by Promosis and integrated into Andover, MA-based Planet Direct’s Web service. Billings were not disclosed. […]

The Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Postal inspectors put more than 1,000 junk e-mailers on notice that the agencies are monitoring unsolicited e-mail for pitching fraudulent schemes. In recent months the FTC has joined with other countries to conduct sweeps of the Internet looking for get-rich-quick schemes and suspect health-care promotions, putting the operators of […]