ABC News and Yahoo have inked a partnership agreement that will enable the Internet portal to redistribute ABC stories and Web videos as well as collaborate with the news organization on co-branded content.
The move, announced on “Good Morning America” early Monday, will look to combine the power of ABC’s editorial focus with Yahoo’s vast Web reach and distribution. The two companies said that the strategic alliance will help deliver content to more than 100 million users each month.
In addition to receiving a prominent place on Yahoo’s homepage, ABC News will collaborate with the Web giant on original coverage that will appear on both websites. The two companies will integrate their news bureaus in New York, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, but each outfit will maintain editorial control over their own site.
“For years, we’ve proudly proclaimed that more Americans get their news from ABC News than any other source,” said Ben Sherwood, president of ABC News. “Going forward, we will greatly expand this leadership by building a connection with a whole new online audience.”
The partnership will kick off with the launch of GoodMorningAmerica.com on Yahoo.com, followed by the introduction of three new online-first video series that are hosted by ABC News anchors.
The first original series will take place today, at 2:35 p.m., when Good Morning America’s George Stephanopoulos interviews President Obama based on questions posed by readers of ABC News and Yahoo. The event will be featured as a live Webcast on both companies’ websites.
The interview will be the first of such sit-downs on “Newsmakers,” a video series that will feature ABC News anchors interviewing high profile politicians and celebrities. The two other Web shows – “Around the World with Christiane Amanpour” and “This Could Be Big,” anchored by Bill Weir – will debut later in the week.
Yahoo and ABC News will work together on advertizing and will report traffic as a single entity.
The move is a significant change in strategy for Yahoo, which has a history of publishing short, attention-grabbing Web stories that often straddle the definition of “news.” The partnership is also a no-brainer for ABC News, which is sure to see its viewership and readership skyrocket with Yahoo’s large Web reach.
Beecher Tuttle is a TMCnet contributor. He has extensive experience writing and editing for print publications and online news websites. He has specialized in a variety of industries, including health care technology, politics and education. To read more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.
Edited by Jennifer Russell
