NEW YORK

19 percent of Americans view online video on any given day

Nearly one in five online Americans view video over the Internet on any given day, thanks to speedier Internet connections and a wider selection of clips, a study finds.

Young adults watch in greater numbers and often turn to humorous clips, while all other age groups use video predominantly for news, according to the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

On a typical day, 19 percent of U.S. Internet adults watch some form of video. News ranked first and comedy second overall.

Mary Madden, a senior research specialist at Pew, said news outlets, among the first to deliver online video, had an "early mover advantage" and got people comfortable with the idea of using the Internet for video.

But the rapid rise of the video-sharing site YouTube, which Google Inc. bought in November, drew many younger viewers. Half of video viewers ages 18-29 watch clips on YouTube, and about 15 percent cite News Corp.'s MySpace. Only 7 percent turn to a cable or network television site.

Nielsen finds PS2 was most-played console in June

More than 68 million people played video games on a console last month, spending much of it on Sony Corp.'s older PlayStation 2, according to Nielsen research.

Seven years after its launch, Sony's PS2 was still the most-played console, accounting for 42 percent of video game use during the month. Microsoft's original Xbox took second place with 17 percent, followed by the Xbox 360 with 8 percent.

The numbers suggest that older machines remain popular despite last November's high-profile debut of Nintendo Co.'s Wii and Sony's PlayStation 3, which had 4 percent and 1.5 percent, respectively. Nintendo's GameCube ranked fourth with 5.8 percent.

SEATTLE

Massive to place in-game ads in EA's 'Madden NFL 08'

In-game advertising company Massive Inc. will broker ads for some of Electronic Arts Inc.'s top video games this year, including the upcoming "Madden NFL 08" for Xbox 360 and personal computers.

Massive, acquired by software maker Microsoft Corp. last year, said last week it would begin serving dynamic ads to five new EA games — "Madden," plus "Nascar 08," "NHL 08" and "Skate" for Microsoft's Xbox 360, and "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08" for Xbox and PCs running Microsoft's Windows operating system.

New York-based Massive sells virtual billboard space to advertisers, then delivers ads over the Internet to PCs and Xbox 360 game consoles.

The company's technology tracks the seconds gamers spend in sight of an ad, then charges marketers for every 10 seconds of exposure. Advertisers can redesign their billboards or stadium ads to match current marketing campaigns in the real world.

BELGIUM

EU to free up radio spectrum for connecting to 3G services

BRUSSELS — The European Union is making more radio spectrum available for accessing Internet services over mobile phones, saying the use of lower frequencies would cut operators' costs and let them reach customers over a wider area.

The European Commission suggested allowing 3G services, also called UMTS, to access the 900 megahertz and 1800 MHz bands currently dedicated solely to voice and data services using older technology known as GSM.

That would mean 3G phone companies could use fewer mobile phone masts to reach more people, letting more customers use their phones to go online to check mail or stream video clips.

The EU executive cited a wireless communications industry estimate that the move would cut network costs by 40 percent more than five years.

The decision needs the support of EU governments and the European Parliament before it can take effect by the end of the year. Approval is expected.

— From wire reports