Yahoo and CBS Ink Local News Video Deal

Television network CBS has entered a video syndication agreement with Yahoo to carry local news video from 16 CBS stations.

If you think your quirky local TV anchor has the stuff to become an Internet celebrity…he or she might just have gotten their change. In an interesting move, Yahoo and CBS have inked a video syndication agreement to put local news video from 16 CBS-owned stations on the Internet via Yahoo’s enormous Internet presence. The agreement goes into effect October 17th, and is the first time network-owned stations have entered a video-sharing agreement with an Internet news outlet. The venture will be ad-supported, with CBS and Yahoo splitting the revenue; no other financial terms of the deal were disclosed.

“Local news has become one of the most important pieces of a user’s online news experience, and this agreement brings some of the best local TV journalism to the millions of Yahoo News users,” said Scott Moore, Yahoo Media Group’s head of news and information. “One of our key priorities is to offer our users relevant and high-quality local news in each market, and with CBS we’ve found a partner that deeply understands the issues most important to the communities they cover.”

According to Yahoo, users who “select” a city or Zip code within a CBS-owned station market will have news videos from that market highlighted for them on the Yahoo home page and throughout Yahoo News offerings. (Presumably, “selection” will take place via Yahoo’s Web interface or as part of a registered user’s profile.) Videos will also link to the Web site of the station so users can find additional stories and videos.

Stations participating in the video syndication deal include:

• WCBS New York
• KCBS Los Angeles
• WBBM Chicago
• KYW Philadelphia
• KPIX San Francisco
• WBZ Boston
• WJZ Baltimore
• KUTV Salt Lake City
• KTVT Dallas
• WCCO Minneapolis
• WFOR Miami
• KCNC Denver
• KOVR Sacramento
• KDKA Pittsburgh
• KEYE Austin
• WFRV Green Bay