Free E-mail for Sports Fans, News Hounds

E-mail service firm iName today announced separate agreements
to provide free e-mail to users of the CNN, CNNSI, and SportsLine USA Web sites.

CNN and SportsLine are the latest in a growing list of sites adding free e-mail services in an effort to attract new users and keep existing users coming back.

Under terms of the agreements, each site will have a “free e-mail” link on its home page, allowing users to access the co-branded iName services. Financial terms were not disclosed.

iName said it will provide the sites with services including free,
permanent Web e-mail addresses; optional personalized addresses; an automated e-mail customization center that includes forwarding and virus scanning; and the creation of any number of accounts under one Internet connection.

A fee will be charged, however, for personalized addresses such as @mail.com, @teacher.com, @doctor.com, or @baseball.com.

The firm added that SportsLine USA-branded e-mail users can also choose addresses for the Tiger Woods affinity domain, i.e. name@tigerwoods.com.

“We are pleased to work with an industry leader like iName as we continue
to expand the services that CNN.com offers its users,” said Mark Bernstein,
vice president and general manager, CNN Interactive, in a statement. “iName offers one of the most comprehensive e-mail infrastructures available on the Internet. Our partnership provides Internet users with the best of both worlds, creating a single destination for all of their news and information and communications needs.”