CBS Announces CBS Interactive Audience

CBS has announced a new online marketing strategy called CBS Interactive Audience. The powerhouse network will distribute content to AOL, Microsoft, CNET, Comcast, Joost, Bebo, Brightcove, Netvibes, Sling Media, and Veoh. The content will feature free, advertiser supported full length episodes. The distribution is a an expansion on the current CBS Innertube channel which features episodes powerhouse shows like CSI and Survivor.

Les Moonvers, Chief Executive Officer of CBS believes this marks an important turning point for online and portable viewership.

"Today marks an important step in our strategy to distribute content broadly across the online interactive landscape on an open, non-exclusive basis. Each of these partners offers value to our audience and our advertisers, who can now come to CBS not only for the most watched network on television, but for the most widely distributed professional content online."

CBS will offer blogs, MySpace and other personal websites the opportunity to embed selected content. Each partner will provide unique ways to manipulate and view content.

Brightcove is currently planning to allow users to edit selected CBS clips

Quincy Smith, President of CBS Interactive believes this strategy will increase users."CBS's ability to partner with leading next-generation interactive platforms is the best way for CBS to evolve from a content company to an audience company. It's really all about the user and in building the CBS Interactive Audience Network, we are bringing our content to each unique platform of their choice. In remaining open to all online distributors and community builders - big and small - we can learn more about our existing audience, be exposed to new ones, and flexibly cater to their changing consumption habits."

As part of the innovative strategy the network will build it's own media player but won't limit partners to using that player.

CSI, The Late Show with David Letterman, Survivor, Showtime Championship Boxing, and CSTV Game of the Week will be some of the shows featured.

Currently you can watch a number of CBS shows for free on the CBS Innertube portal. Viewer may also download commercial free episodes for $1.99 at Google and Itunes.

Missing from the deal is current CBS partners YouTube. And Yahoo Moonvers refused to comment regarding the two web giants.

Sources

www.variety.com,www.streamingmedia.com,www.downloadsqaud.com