InsideTech

Satellite TV operator DirecTV Group Inc. was one of the few pay-TV companies to gain subscribers in the third quarter, though earnings stayed steady because of the higher costs it incurred attracting and serving those new customers. DirecTV said Thursday that a marketing partnership with AT&T Inc. that began in February accounted for most of the increase in U.S. subscribers, ...

How much time can you spend with someone without loving them? From the evidence of this week's issue it seems quite a lot, at least in online media. We recently took a survey of consumers' views of new media brands and found only 6% loved Facebook. This compares to ITV, which was loved by one in four people. The idea of ...

NEW YORK - First it was books. Now it's DVDs. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. started another price war Thursday, trimming the online preorder prices of some upcoming DVDs following its price cut on books last month. And, once again, competitors Amazon.com and Target scrambled to match the prices. It's the latest salvo in an ongoing online push by Wal-Mart designed to ...

PARIS - Disabled with severe cerebral palsy, 32-year-old Anne Lamic spends her days in southeastern France mostly in bed, surrounded by stuffed animals and dolls. She cannot speak or walk, and she sometimes has seizures. Now, Lamic's parents are planning to broadcast her quiet life to the world via webcam. Their announcement has caused a stir in France, with many ...

BOSTON - Massachusetts has received about $2 million in federal stimulus funding to help identify the speed and location of broadband services in the state over the next five years. Gov. Deval Patrick said on Friday that the grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration will help Massachusetts determine which parts of the state have broadband, which parts don't and ...