LOS ANGELES (Digital Media Wire/ www.digitalmediawire.com/ Axis Marketing & PR) - RealNetworks, XM Satellite Radio, NCSoft and TiVo were among the big winners at the first annual Billboard
Digital Entertainment Awards. The awards were held on November 5th at UCLA Covel Commons at Sunset Village in Los Angeles, California.
XM Satellite Radio was presented the award for Best Radio Service, given to the best digital, Internet, satellite or other format in radio with respect to variety, innovation and user experience. XM's president and CEO Hugh Panero, was honored with the Innovator of the Year award for his profound impact and leadership in the satellite radio medium.
RealNetworks' Rhapsody won Best Downloadable or Subscription Music Service, and the company's Harmony service won Digital Music Innovation of the Year. In other music related categories, Napster reigned supreme in the category of Best Digital Music Community, Prince's NPG Music Club won Best Use of Technology by an Artist and Island Def Jam took the honors for Best Use of Technology by a Music Label.
In the category Television Technology of the Year, TiVo took the award for the technology, application, platform, accessory or device that has had the most profound impact on the television industry. Walt Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" received the award for Best Use of Technology in a Feature Film while Maven Network's "Master & Commander: The Farside of the World" took home the trophy for Most Innovative Use of Technology in Advertising.
Among the winners in the games categories was NCSoft, which took two prizes for "City of Heroes" - PC or Console Game of the Year and Multiplayer Game of the Year. Another multi-winner at the first annual event was Nintendo, which received the awards for Handheld Game of the Year for "Mario & Luigi: Super Star Saga" and best character for Link from "Legend of Zelda."
Apple/Pixar CEO Steve Jobs was named Visionary of the Year while Apple picked up the honor for Brand of the Year.
The Billboard Digital Entertainment Awards celebrate vision, innovation, entrepreneurship and brand development in digital entertainment. With awards in 26 unique categories honoring achievements involving games, music and film, television and video, Billboard recognized the cutting-edge developments and forward thinkers shaping the future of entertainment.
Billboard created the awards ceremony in partnership with Digital Media Wire, the digital industry's leading news organization and events company. Finalists were chosen by a panel of distinguished judges from the music, gaming and film/TV industries. Throughout the review and judging process, entries were evaluated on a point system based on specific criteria relevant to each category as set out in the category descriptions. Particular focus was given to innovation, creativity, content, interactivity and market success. For a list of judges please visit www.digitalentertainmentawards.com.
The following is a complete list of winners from the 2004 Billboard Digital Entertainment Awards:
BEST IN SHOW AWARDS
Visionary of the Year: Steve Jobs - CEO, Apple/CEO, Pixar
Innovator of the Year: Hugh Panero and XM Satellite Radio, Inc.
Brand of the Year: Apple
MUSIC AWARDS
Best Downloadable or Subscription Music Service: Rhapsody, RealNetworks
Best Use of Technology by a Music Label: LL Nation, Island Def Jam
Best Use of Technology by an Artist: NPG Music Club, Prince
Best Radio Service: XM Satellite Radio
Best Use of Technology for a Music Marketing Campaign: Ben Harper Experience, Virgin Records and Maven Networks
Music DVD of the Year: Rolling Stones Four Flicks, TGA Entertainment
Best Digital Music Community: Napster
Digital Music Innovation of the Year: Harmony, RealNetworks
GAMES AWARDS
PC or Console Game of the Year: City of Heros, NCSoft
Handheld Game of the Year: Mario & Luigi: Super Star Saga, Nintendo
Web/Downloadable Game of the Year: Shroomz: Quest for Puppy, Game Trust, Inc.
Multiplayer Game of the Year: City of Heros, NCSoft
Advergame of the Year: The Subservient Chicken, Crispin Porter & Bogusky for Burger King
Best Character in a Game: Link from Legend of Zelda, Nintendo
Best Use of Sound in a Game: True Crime: Streets of L.A., Activision
Game Developer of the Year: BioWare Corp.
Game Innovation of the Year: Eyetoy, Dr. Richard Marks and Sony Computer Entertainment America
TELEVISION, FILM AND VIDEO AWARDS
Best Interactive Television Programming: NASCAR in Car, NASCAR Digital Entertainment
Best Use of Technology for Educational Programming: The Brain, Ball State University - Center for Media Design
Best Use of Technology in a Feature Film or Film-Related Project: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Walt Disney
Most Innovative Use of Technology for Advertising: Master and Commander: The Farside of the World, Maven Networks
Best Video On-Demand Service: Mag Rack, Rainbow Media
Television Technology of the Year: TiVo
