Internet sports media company SportsLine.com Inc. launched a new shopping
channel called within its flagship site, CBS SportsLine.com.
The new MarketPlace on SportsLine.com
is designed to enable retailers to access SportsLine.com’s targeted
audience, while providing CBS SportsLine.com users with convenient access to
a variety of products and services.
The individual retailers are paying SportsLine.com a fee for space in the
MarketPlace and the retailer retains all responsibility for inventory,
transactions, fulfillment and customer service.
“The beauty of MarketPlace on SportsLine.com is that we can further monetize
our audience base and traffic while offering quality products and services to
our users without re-entering the e-commerce business directly,” said Dan
Head, vice president of e-commerce for SportsLine.com.
SportsLine.com’s posted e-commerce sales revenue of $16.5 million in sporting
goods
alone in 1999, which led to the sale of its sporting goods e-commerce
operation to MVP.com in a 10-year, multimillion-dollar
agreement in late 1999. MVP.com also has exclusivity in the sporting goods
category of MarketPlace on SportsLine.com.
At launch, MarketPlace on SportsLine.com features categories such as art and
collectibles, watches, leather goods, flowers, gourmet foods, sporting goods,
fresh fruit and travel. Ultimately, the MarketPlace on SportsLine.com is
expected to grow to more than 40 categories with hundreds of vendors, the
company said.
Meanwhile, MSNBCSports.com, the Internet home of
NBC Sports, will launch its online sports fan store next Monday (July 17),
the result of an alliance with eFANshop, a Dallas-based e-commerce
company that will manage all aspects of the store, including site design,
merchandising, order processing and fulfillment, and customer service.
The new shop will feature more than 10,000 officially licensed products,
including caps, jerseys, and T-shirts from leading properties such as the
NBA, NCAA, NFL, NHL, NASCAR and Major League Baseball.
