American Interactive Media Inc. entered into a strategic partnership with InfoSpace Inc., which will provide AIM’s streaming
video Internet entertainment networks with access to InfoSpace’s directory
services and infrastructure.
InfoSpace also will distribute blocks of
AIM programming to its syndication partners and to other sites on the
Internet. Financial terms of the arrangement were not disclosed.
“This opens an entirely new advertising model which we expect will be extremely successful,” said Naveen Jain, president of InfoSpace.
The InfoSpace agreement gives AIM’s entertainment networks, developed by
WebFeat Inc., AIM’s content development and production subsidiary, visibility
on the InfoSpace site, which generates 130 million hits a month, the companies said.
The immediate beneficiary of this agreement is ComedyNet, a 24-hour streaming video
comedy network recently launched on the Internet by AIM. ComedyNet programming
will be syndicated to InfoSpace’s partners as well as to other Internet sites
and search engines. InfoSpace syndication partners include ABC News Ventures,
CBS, Lycos, The Microsoft Network, The Wall Street Journal, CompuServe, Intel, AT&T, Barnes & Noble, Sega and Oracle.
AIM entertainment networks, of which there are several in various stages of
development, will have access to InfoSpace’s e-mail, chat and e-commerce
services. InfoSpace will also provide the data management functions necessary
to track usage, advertising targeting and user registration. InfoSpace’s e-
commerce capabilities will also be directly built into AIM’s Web pages to
enable targeted promotions and online shopping, the companies stated.
“The InfoSpace relationship acknowledges the quality and potential of AIM’s
entertainment networks,” said AIM
president, Mark Graff. “It also gives us access to millions of hits on a
monthly basis while providing the best back-end services available.
