Murdoch buys Crazy Frog

News Corp is expected to buy Jamba, the ringtone vendor that unleashed Crazy Frog on the world, reports The Register.

Rupert Murdoch`s firm will secure a majority share in Jamba of 51% in a purchase set at $187.5 million.

Jamba (known as Jamster in the US) is the Berlin-based ringtone unit of US technology company VeriSign. It will be merged with News Corp`s Mobizzo unit, which sells "mobisodes", short video clips of Fox TV shows, including 24.

Apple Computer and NBC are staking their claim to a central role as the scramble among media and technology companies for a place in the burgeoning digital video business heats up, reports MSN Money.

Apple took aim at Microsoft and Sony with its first bid for a place in the living room. Steve Jobs, Apple chairman, unveiled a gadget that he called "the missing piece" in letting people watch video on their TV screens that they have downloaded from the Internet. Walt Disney also announced that it would release its films on Apple`s iTunes service.

Meanwhile, NBC sought to counter the threat from Google, Yahoo and other Web portals in the emerging market for online video distribution. The TV network company launched a clearing house for digital video that will include its 230 local affiliates, as well as more than two dozen partner sites.

The world`s biggest online retailer of independent music has opened a European store offering unrestricted downloads, reports BBC.

eMusic is the second most successful download site in the US after Apple`s iTunes Music Store, and will sell tracks from 8 500 independent labels. The subscription-based site will offer MP3 recordings that work on all digital music players, including Apple`s iPod.

However, eMusic has not struck deals with major record labels, which say their music must carry digital restrictions. The company plans to sell music across Europe, and has employed music journalists to help confused customers navigate their way through its varied collection.