TechnologyHelp, Inc. has completed a second round of funding and officially changed its name to Cinemetrix. The new round of financing came from Vanguard Atlantic, a New York-based venture capital firm. Terms of that transaction were not disclosed. George Gagliardi, president and chief executive officer, said, "We are now positioned to expand the sales and marketing of our technology and know-how to clients who understand the power of professionally produced TV-quality presentations.

Ubi Soft Entertainment generated consolidated sales of US$53.2 million (60.39 million euros), up 162.5% for the first quarter of 2000/2001 ended June 30. Without taking into account the acquisition of 3D Planet (Italy), Sinister Games (U.S.), Red Storm (U.S.), and Blue Byte (Germany), and the assets of TLC's Entertainment division, consolidated sales for the quarter were $32.44 million dollars (36.81 million euros), up 60%. Highlights of the quarter were the release of MYST III: EXILE, launched in the U.S. and Australia in May.

Crave Entertainment Group, Inc., parent company to videogame publisher Crave Entertainment, Inc. and SVG Distribution, Inc., has announced that it has secured a US$35 million in funding from Heller Financial. This financing is the first step in a multifaceted capital-restructuring plan for the company. "The industry has been extremely supportive throughout our restructuring, and this new credit line ensures financial support for the ongoing growth of our core business," said Nima Taghavi, chief executive officer, Crave Entertainment Group.

Paul Villadolid, a former senior vice president at Walt Disney Television, and Larry Hess, a former software engineer at special effects house Digital Domain, have formed Rebel Arts, a technology and software developer with a proprietary server platform designed to handle massive multiplayer online games. The technology is designed to handle in excess of 100,000 simultaneous users. Strategic partners AMD and Linux NetworX are providing Rebel Arts with critical support, including the AMD-760 MP dual processor chipset and Linux NetworX's Evolocity cluster server system.

The Walt Disney Company has reported earnings for the quarter ended June 30, 2001. Pro forma revenues and segment operating income for the quarter decreased 1% and 7% to US$6 billion and $1.1 billion, respectively, from the prior-year quarter. "In a soft economy, Disney's overall performance continues to be solid," said Michael D. Eisner, chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company. "Our studio has added yet another quarter to a year of strong growth.

Electronic Arts announced its results for the first fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2001. Consolidated net revenues were US$182 million compared to $154.8 million for the same quarter last year, an increase of 18%. On an as-reported basis, consolidated net loss and diluted loss per share were $45.3 million and $0.33, respectively, compared to a net loss and diluted loss per share of 42.3 million and $0.33, respectively, in the same period of the prior year.

Barcelona-based Morphe Art Pictures, a short film distributor, has launched a campaign to license its shorts in the U.S. and Latin America. Morphe Art Pictures has agreements with such British animation institutions as The Royal College of Art, the National Film and TV School and the French animation studio Lardux Films. Other independent productions represented by the company are the Prix Arts nominee MOVING ILLUSTRATIONS OF MACHINES, as well as BAFTA New Talent Awards nominee THE LONELY WIDOW, REANIMACION and THE GIFT.

Activision, Inc. has announced record financial results for the first fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2001. Net revenues were US$110.6 million, 31% higher than last year’s net revenues of $84.6 million. Net income for the first fiscal quarter was $29,000 or a nominal amount per share, compared with a net loss of $5.2 million, or $0.21 loss per share, reported for the same period last year. The company also announced an increase in its fiscal year 2002 earnings per share forecast from $0.80 to $0.87.

Aardman Animation, Cartoon Network, Nelvana and the National Film and Television School, U.K. film and animation school, have formed the Animation Committee to discover and support European animation talent. The organization will review toon shorts quarterly. The best of those shorts will be aired on Britshorts.com. Some of those shorts will be selected for further development in film and television.

Entertainment Rights plc has announced the creation of their home video company Right Entertainment. Along with its recent US$22.5 million acquisition of Link, Right will enable Entertainment Rights to exploit its properties around the globe in all mediums. In turn, Entertainment Rights has signed an exclusive deal with Universal Pictures Video UK to release its properties on video.