American families can save hundreds of dollars a year on their TV entertainment bill by moving from traditional cable and satellite to Internet video, according to OVGuide.com, the most comprehensive guide to online video.

The average American pays between $50 and $100 a month for cable, but as major TV networks are now putting popular shows online, the cost of viewing quality programming can be reduced to as little as $12.95 a month, the expense of basic broadband Internet service. OVGuide.com offers the following easy-to-remember tips so Americans can dramatically cut their cable bill, without missing out on favorite TV shows:

• Downgrade cable / satellite subscription from premium to basic service, as most premium TV content can be found online with fewer commercials and archived episodes from past seasons. This cost cut can save consumers more than $200 each year.

• Beware of bundles. They lock consumers into a host of services they may not need or use regularly. Online programming is much more comprehensive than cable, and consumers have on-demand access to all episodes from each season of their favorite TV shows, as well as movies, viral videos and more.

• Cancel monthly DVD subscriptions and DVR packages. Many online video sites have a playlist feature that makes online video easily accessible and can be bookmarked for future use. Consumers can save more than $15 per month, totaling over $180 a year.

• Even without cable, individuals can still utilize their big screen TVs by simply connecting their home computer to the TV with a simple $20 VGA connector cable (http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-connect-your-laptop-to-your-television).

Global revenues from mobile music services will reach nearly $14.6 billion by 2013 despite a fall in ringtone sales, a new report from Juniper Research revealed.

The Juniper report also found that many of the key hurdles to mass adoption of full-track services have been significantly reduced, notably handset form factor, memory constraints, and (in some markets) a reduction of data costs. It said that these factors, allied to the increasing willingness of the major labels to participate in mobile ventures and the proliferation of user-generated content in the mobile space, were likely to drive push adoption and usage levels still higher.

Much of the recent interest in full-track downloads across the industry has been stimulated by iPhone and iPhone 3G.

The Juniper Research report includes historical, current and forecast market sizing through to 2013, including data on service usage, user numbers, pricing, user spend and end-user revenues together with scenario-based forecasts of the impact of the economic downturn on mobile music adspend.

Details of the report Mobile Music: Videos, Streamed, Full Tracks, Ringbacks, Ringtones & Downturn Analysis 2009-2013 (5th edition) can be freely downloaded.

The Nielsen Company reported that viewing of video on television, Internet and mobile devices continues to increase and has reached new heights. In its fourth quarter “A2/M2 Three Screen Report,” Nielsen reported that the average American watches more than 151 hours of TV per month, an all-time high. Meanwhile, Americans who watch video over the Internet consume another 3 hours of online video per month and those who use mobile video watch nearly 4 hours per month on mobile phones and other devices.

Nielsen also reported that digital video recorded (DVR) and other timeshifted television is watched at double the pace as video online at 7 hours, 11 minutes per month. Yet in a potential indicator of how audiences could timeshift in the future, young adults (age 18-24) watch video on the Internet and on a DVR at the same rate or about 5 hours per month.

The TV and Internet figures are calculated using Nielsen’s National TV and Internet panels which are measured electronically and reported on a regular basis. The Mobile phone figures are collected by Nielsen via a quarterly survey, and give a firsthand look at how early adopters report their usage of mobile video.

Majority of web surfers (80.1%) indicated concern about the privacy of their personal information such as age, gender, income and web surfing habits, a Burst Media survey revealed.

The survey was administered to over 4,000 web users with the purpose of better understanding how privacy impacts a web user’s Internet experience, as well as its impact on advertisers. In addition to finding that privacy is a significant concern amongst web users, the survey also revealed that concern increases with the age of the respondent.

Concern about privacy is prevalent among all age segments, and increased with the respondent’s age from 67.3% among respondents 18-24 years to 85.7% of respondents 55 years and older.

The survey also found that most web users believe web sites are tracking their behavior online. Three out of five (62.5%) respondents indicated it is likely that a web site they visit collects information on how they navigate and interact with it.

Also of note was the revelation that personal privacy is not something people are willing to give up for more relevant advertising. Based strictly on the description “advertisements more relevant to interest,” only one-in-five (23.2%) respondents would not mind if non-personally identifiable information was collected if ads were better targeted.

Online career development network MyWorkster has launched a new proprietary People Search capability that makes it easier than ever for individuals to network with other professionals, and for employers to find exactly the right candidate for job openings.

Unlike any search function used in social or professional networking sites, the technology allows for real-time search results that constantly narrow and focus use search results.

Most professional networking and job search sites offer a standard search engine that often produces a broad, untargeted list of results. MyWorkster’s People Search creates a real-time list of contacts as the user selects various criteria such as industry, geographical area, collegiate network, and year graduated. Narrowing or broadening a search is as easy as checking a box, allowing users to find the exact person they need to reach, without restarting numerous searches or digging through irrelevant contacts.

Online quizzes and quiz technology company Pangea Media grew rapidly in 2008. Users took more than 60 million quizzes and unique visitors reached 8 million per month. In addition, users created 200,000 quizzes and posted millions of quizzes and badges to their profiles, blogs and personal web pages.

Pangea Media operates a network of more than 50 websites, including Quibblo.com, QuizRocket.com, MovieNachos.com, Funnies.com and MyCareerQuizzes.com, across a range of verticals and content areas. In September 2008, Pangea expanded its reach by purchasing the Laugh Network.

Pangea Media’s sites average a combined 100 million page views per month.

Online destination for high-definition entertainment Jaman.com is partnering with Cinetic Rights Management.

This partnership expands Jaman’s catalogue to more than 7000 films, including Oscar-winning documentaries and contenders from the world’s premiere film festivals. Cinetic will also deliver hits premiered during film festivals in 2008

Most recently, Jaman acquired nearly 3,000 titles of E1 Entertainment’s most renowned feature films and documentaries, episodic series and American TV classics. Other current content providers include Paramount Pictures, Lionsgate, BFI, Eros International, Magnolia Pictures, First Look Films, Arts Alliance America and BBC Worldwide America.

FlipGloss Media, a company founded by Yahoo Music veterans, has launched FlipGloss.com, an immersive visual discovery experience that features fashion, design, travel and other lifestyle photography. FlipGloss content is curated from around the world and updated daily. Inspired by the rich environment of magazines, FlipGloss combines fresh editorial photo features, search and on-image interaction to further the promise of a more visual web.

FlipGloss users can enjoy full screen, editorial photo stories and easily find out more about products, places and people that catch their eyes. Using the site’s unique ‘Flip, Hover, Discover’ navigation, FlipGloss users can flip through images, hover over objects of interest and click to discover product information, related recommendations or where to purchase. In addition, FlipGloss offers publishers and advertisers a suite of services to showcase their content and advertising creative in innovative ways. On FlipGloss, all content is presented as full page images including relevant advertising.

Tremor Media, the leading online video advertising network and technology provider, today announced it has closed an $18 million round of series C funding. The investment will enable the company to further build its premier video ad network and increase investments in advanced video technologies including Acudeo, the market-leading video ad monetization platform.

Meritech Capital Partners led the funding round along with participation from Tremor Media’s existing investors. Previous funding included investments from Canaan Partners, Masthead Venture Partners, and European Founders Fund. The series C round of funding follows Tremor Media’s third consecutive year of triple-digit revenue growth.

The additional capital will allow Tremor Media to accelerate product development, grow the Acudeo install base, and further expand the footprint of its video network. The company will also continue its international expansion under the leadership of Christian Baudis, former head of Google Germany who was hired in September 2008.

The company received $11 million in series B funding last year.

Online gaming and entertainment destination Candystand.com and the Harlem Globetrotters, have forged a partnership. The alliance enables the creation of two free online video games—The Original Harlem Globetrotters Dunk Off! and Spin that Ball, which will premiere on the Candstand.com website.

These new Candystand.com offerings are the first-ever online video games featuring the Globetrotters in their storied history, during which they’ve entertained more than 128 million fans in 120 countries around the world. Candystand.com will now enable fans worldwide to experience the Globetrotters’ unique brand of fun and family entertainment with a high-quality game experience for which the site is famous.

Candystand.com is proud to add The Original Harlem Globetrotters Dunk Off! and Spin that Ball to its suite of hundreds of approachable casual games available and free-to-play on the site. Dunk Off! features four Harlem Globetrotters players in a one-of-a-kind dunk contest, complete with back flips, ball tricks and the Globetrotters’ signature confetti bucket. Spin that Ball is a simple yet highly addictive game that challenges players to replicate one of the Globetrotters’ most famous ball handling moves, spinning a basketball on the tip of one finger for as long as possible.