Softbank

Here is the first of two round-ups of some recent interactive TV-related stories we didn't have room for in this issue:

Live Internet broadcasting service provider, Ustream (note: in addition to enabling live one-to-many streaming, the company offers users of its service a social TV experience via its Social Stream capability, which enables real-time interactions through Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and AIM integrations), and Japan's Softbank--which in February was revealed to have led a Series B funding round for Ustream that could provide the company with as much as $75 million in new funding--on Tuesday announced the launch of Ustream Asia, a joint venture partnership expanding Ustream's business into the Asia Pacific region.

The [itvt] editorial team will be on the road this week and next, so we will be covering most stories in round-up/summary form, and we anticipate that there will be some additional interruptions of our regular news publishing schedule beyond that. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience to our readers.

Live Internet broadcasting service provider, Ustream, announced late Monday that it has secured $75 million in a Series B funding round that was led by Softbank of Japan, and that additional funding commitments are pending from other investors in the US and Asia. The company says that the funding will help it continue its growth in the US, and allow it to expand its presence in the Asia Pacific region where it is hoping to pursue opportunities in Japan, China, Korea and India.