Yahoo! and CBS today inked a partnership which will bring venerable TV news magazine 60 Minutes video content and news specials to the online portal’s properties. Specific financial terms of the deal were not spelled out.
Beginning this fall when 60 Minutes enters its 39th season, the two media companies said, users will have access to 60 Minutes content throughout Yahoo!, including on the News, Sports and Entertainment sites, as well as on a newly created “microsite” on Yahoo! dedicated to the show. Each week following the Sunday night broadcast of the news magazine, the microsite will be updated with two news specials. One special will expand on a segment featured that week on the television broadcast. The second will be based on a topical news theme for that particular week. Both offerings will include special video footage, as well as interactive elements such as maps, a reporter’s notebook, blogs and photo galleries.
In addition to the two weekly news packages, the microsite will also include previews of the upcoming Sunday night program. All 60 Minutes content made available on Yahoo! will be archived for viewing at any later time. A special preview of the free video programming on Yahoo! will be available starting Sunday, March 26, and will feature an interview with Tiger Woods.
“This deal with Yahoo! will bring the rich storytelling of television’s Number One news magazine to a new and younger audience while offering loyal viewers extended features and content online,” said Sean McManus, President, CBS News and Sports, in a statement. “We believe this is an important step toward establishing 60 Minutes as the news magazine of the future.”
“With the addition of 60 MINUTES video to Yahoo!, our users will have access to one of the most respected news franchises, programmed and edited with Yahoo!’s audience in mind,” added Lloyd Braun, head of the Yahoo! Media Group. “We’re focused on creating an experience that gives users a complete picture of the stories and issues important to them.”