Daytime soap opera fans who find their jobs get in the way of watching their favorite shows can now watch soaps on demand through Comcast cable. The company’s local digital cable customers can now find SOAPnet on Channel 158. As with other “on-demand” channels, SOAPnet lets viewers tune in to shows anytime they want, including same-day episodes of “The Young and the Restless,” “All My Children,” “One Life to Live,” “General Hospital” and “Days of Our Lives.” The channel offers reruns of classic daytime and evening soaps as well.
Getty Images buys New York rival
Seattle stock photography company Getty Images Inc. on Thursday said it agreed to buy MediaVast Inc., the parent company of a smaller competitor, WireImage, for about $200 million in cash. Jupitermedia Corp., another image bank, said Thursday it is also in talks to be acquired by the company. Under the terms of the agreement, Getty said it will keep the WireImage brand, known for its online archive of celebrity photographs and video, as well as the FilmMagic and Contour Photos businesses.
Oil prices rise as inventories fall
Oil climbed to settle near $61 a barrel Thursday, the highest closing price this year, after the U.S. government reported surprisingly large drops in gasoline and heating oil inventories. Tension between Western powers and Iran have also boosted energy prices over the past two days; the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog reported Thursday that Iran is still refusing to end its nuclear program.
Jobless claims fall as storms subside
The number of laid-off workers filing for unemployment benefits dropped sharply last week after having been driven higher the previous week by storm-related layoffs. The Labor Department reported that applications for jobless benefits totaled 332,000 last week, down by 27,000 from the previous week. The prior week jobless claims had jumped by 46,000, the biggest one-week increase since September 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
New Pepsi cola bumps up caffeine
Pepsi has announced a new product called Pepsi MAX, a no-calorie cola with extra caffeine and ginseng. It will hit stores nationwide in June.
Harley workers approve new pact
Unionized workers at Harley-Davidson Inc.’s largest manufacturing plant overwhelmingly approved a new labor agreement Thursday, ending a strike that halted motorcycle production for three weeks. Eighty-three percent of those who voted endorsed the contract, which calls for a 12 percent wage increase over three years, the union said in a statement.
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