CBS News And AOL Ink Deal
CBS said Tuesday that it's forming an alliance with America Online that will make CBS News the exclusive broadcast news partner for AOL.
CBS News content at www.cbs.com will replace ABC News as America Online's content partner for its roughly 15 million subscribers worldwide, the CBS announcement said.
The multi-year, cross-promotional alliance guarantees a CBS News presence across AOL brands including Compuserve, America Online, and AOL.com, according to a press release Tuesday. AOL will receive on-air promotion on all CBS News programming.
AOL will get plugs on shows including CBS Evening News with Dan Rather; 60 Minutes, Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer, 48 Hours, CBS Morning News, CBS This Morning, CBS News Saturday Morning, CBS News Sunday Morning, 60 Minutes II and Up To the Minute.
CBS and AOL will share ad revenue generated on areas on the AOL network that incorporate CBS programming.
"This is a huge deal to combine the best of broadcast journalism with the best of online services," said Steve Jacobs, deputy general manager of CBS.com and executive producer of new media for CBS News. "We've committed to a significant expansion of our online editorial resources in order to meet our commitment to AOL subscribers."
"CBS's unparalleled tradition of news leadership promises a new landmark in innovative online news programming for our members," AOL President Bob Pittman said in a statement.
By Steve Gelsi