After one year of operation, Home Box Office plans to shutter its Volume.com urban Web site on Nov. 1.
HBO launched the site last November. Volume.com, which was targeted to urban youths, offered music-video content, as well as sports and entertainment sections. Some industry executives had expected Volume.com to eventually be expanded into a music video channel and a potential MTV: Music Television competitor.
"The marketplace just isn't there," said Volume.com CEO Kevin Dowdell. About 20 Volume.com staffers have been laid off, he added.
Dowdell declined to comment when asked if HBO would sell the Volume.com domain name, or whether it would consider relaunching the service — which relied on both advertising and electronic commerce revenue — if the Internet market rebounds.
