WASHINGTON (AFX) -- Major League Baseball is reportedly studying selling a piece of its Internet business in a public stock offering. M.L.B. Advanced Media is co-owned by all 30 teams that have funded the four-year-old effort with about $70 million. One estimate values the business of marketing baseball online at $1 billion. Selling a minority share could raise hundreds of millions of dollars for MLB. "The company has been successful sooner than anticipated and earned a profit a year earlier than we expected," said Bob DuPuy, president and chief operating officer of Major League Baseball, the New York Times reported. He said the idea of going public has been raised "from time to time ... but no decision has been made, taken to the commissioner or take to the clubs."
Late last night, Microsoft and America Online emerged the winners in bidding to carry this season's Major League Baseball Webcasts. Subscribers to MSN's Internet service will get live audio and video of as many as 250 games a week, while AOL customers will have get audio. Microsoft was reported to have paid $40 million for exclusive rights to the video rights for two years, while America Online offered $9 million, according to Cnet. Non-subscribers to both services will be able to buy monthly or season passes for the Webcasts at MLB.com.

Web site targets hot NY real estate Brown Harris Stevens, a real estate firm specializing in upscale residential properties, plans to introduce a Web site offering real-time information about available properties. Manhattan's oldest real estate firm said its new site will update listings every six seconds, according to the New York Post. "In this market, it has to be live," said Jim Cahill, the company's chief information and technology officer. Plans are for the site to function like EBay, with bids and offers for properties. Arthur Zeckendorf, a co-chairman of the brokerage's parent firm, said eventually the site will alert prospective buyers when offers have been made, giving them an opportunity raise their bid. Wal-Mart touts exclusive tracks at online store
Wal-Mart Inc. officially launched its online Music Downloads service, offering tracks for 88 cents each. Since debuting its service in test mode in December, the company said it has increased the selection by 50 percent and augmented it with exclusive songs from artists including Jessica Simpson, 3 Doors Down, and Shania Twain. Tracks are in Windows Media format and can be burned to CDs or transferred to portable players. In a statement, the company said the music service would be promoted in its retail stores.

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