Vid-Biz: DTV Coupons, Sling, Lionsgate

DTV Coupon Program Out of Money; government program offering $40 toward digital converter box out of money weeks earlier than anticipated. (TVWeek)

Sling Shows Off iPhone App, Mac Capabilities; SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone will let users watch TV and control their home DVR, SlingPlayer for Mac HD will let Sling users stream content to their Macs. (emailed release)

Lionsgate Buys TV Guide Network and TVGuide.com; purchase price was $225 million, Lionsgate plans to expand the network’s original programming lineup. (The LA Times)

Gossip Girl Creator Heading Up Web Series for TheWB.com; Rockville centers around the lives of a group of twenty-somethings at a nightclub where real-world acts like the Kaiser Chiefs and Travis will perform. (Variety)

MobiTV Ramps Up for Inauguration; the presidential election was a big draw for the mobile TV service, company is gearing up to handle the expected surge of interest for Obama’s inauguration. (Bits Blog)

Blu-ray Ends 2008 on a High (Def) Note; sales of the players were so good that Adams Media Research raised its U.S. Blu-ray household estimates to to 3.1 million by year’s end up from 2.9 million. (The Hollywood Reporter)

FFWD Releases APIs to Developers; developers can integrate the video recommendation engine’s functionality into their sites; company also says Boxee will be incorporating FFWD into its future releases. (TechCrunch)