YouTube close to launching paid subscription channels, reports say. 

Amazon launches first Android app-store in China, ahead of Google. 

Pfizer lets bashful buyers get Viagra online.

Al Jazeera America plans to open Detroit bureau.

Asustek plans to make small Windows 8 tablets.

Audi considers doubling production at Mexico factory under construction.

Berkshire Hathaway provides peek at era after Buffett.

BuzzFeed takes steps to expand foreign news.Continue reading...

Taco Bell makes new Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos available a day early.

Fox reveals details of new planned national sports network to compete with ESPN.

Best Buy ends work-at-home program for corporate employees as Yahoo! policy continues to be debated.

Alfa Romeo says its performance numbers make 4C an ideal car for U.S. market.

Doritos launches first global campaign.

Fiat chief Sergio Marchionne presses full merger with Chrysler.

Groupon CFO says company's business model will stay.

JCPenney board's patience said to be wearing thin with CEO Ron Johnson, as Martha Stewart dished from the witness stand and rehashes her testimony on NBC's Today Show.Continue reading...

Hostess is in talks to sell off bread brands, as makers of Thomas' English muffins and Tastykake snacks emerge as two of the bidders for Wonder Bread according to the Wall Street Journal.

Hulu CEO resigns as web TV startup faces impasse.

NHL resolves labor dispute, faces shortened season.

Apple envy one of Fast Company's suggested New Year's Resolutions for brands.

Bank of America settles with Fannie Mae for $10 billion.

BMW is paring back car discounts in Germany.

CES lures brands and marketers to Las Vegas.Continue reading...

Here's to the many brands that have been stepping up in the wake of Hurricane Sandy's devastation on the U.S., providing everything from money to food to power and their employees, products and services to help disaster relief efforts. A partial list of charitable first-responders follows (and if we miss any, please let us know in the comments):

AT&T will extend late-payment windows for wireless and wireline customers, waive late payment fees and not disconnect services because of non-payment, and in an unprecedented open-network arrangement with T-Mobile, will enable roaming to customers of both companies in the impacted areas. AT&T wireless customers can make a $10 donation (up to $50) for Hurricane Sandy relief by texting to relief organizations. AT&T and T-Mobile also joined forces on a wireless roaming agreement, while Verizon Wireless is offering free charging for all cellphones.Continue reading...

AT&T challenges ESPN on 3DTV claims.

Audi signs on as Emmys sponsor.

Budweiser rebrands its can.

Burger King, Wendy's, Subway, Taco Bell, Carl's Jr. lead US fast food brands expanding in Russia.

Coca-Cola tests "FaceLook" facial recognition Facebook app in Israel.

Dunkin' Brands quarterly profits slip.

Facebook marketing director (and sister-of-Mark) Randi Zuckerberg quits to launch a start-up.

Google accuses Apple, Oracle and Microsoft of "patent bullying."Continue reading...

* P&G, ahead of taking Olay global, names Carrie Underwood as the brand's first celebrity ambassador.

* Nissan is partnering with Dongfeng Motors on Qi Chen, a new Chinese car brand.

* Oracle's board rejects shareholder proposal calling for board-level accountability on sustainability.

* AOL taps former William Morris chairman Jim Wiatt as strategic advisor.

* Apple lost 20% of iPhone 4 sales due to "antennagate" (in Minneapolis), while the NYT's David Pogue reviews 2010 iPods, finds "modest improvements, a risky new design and one home run in the new iPod Touch."

* CNN makes it official: Piers Morgan will replace Larry King.Continue reading...

BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion has agreed to cooperate with India security offiicials, a government official tells the Wall Street Journal. The government "also has security concerns" about Google's Gmail service and Internet telephony from companies such as Luxembourg-based Skype, the official told reporters.

BP is going ahead with its relief well in the Gulf of Mexico following tests. "Everybody is in agreement that we need to proceed with the relief well," retired Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen tells Reuters. "The question is how to do it." The decision came as Alabama announced it was suing BP for the "catastrophic harm" that the spill had caused the state.

GM is seen as filing for its IPO next week, sources tell AP.

HP's next CEO should come from within the company — or IBM — according to top technology execs who were polled about the company's future. The majority felt HP should hire from within and stay the course.

IBM, meanwhile, today announced it's buying Unica, a seller of marketing software, for $451.7 million in cash, the latest in a string of acquisitions for the tech giant. IBM is also forecasting an increase in U.S. electronics and appliance sales.

Lan and Tam today announced they're combining to form Latin America's biggest airline.Continue reading...