Viacom and Yahoo! Strike Multi-Year Search Marketing Deal

Yahoo! to be Exclusive Provider of Sponsored Search and Contextual Ads

Across MTVN and BETN Global Websites

    NEW YORK and SUNNYVALE, Calif., April 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
 Viacom ( VIA, VIA.B) and Yahoo! Inc. ( YHOO) today announced a
 multi-year partnership under which Yahoo! will serve as the exclusive
 provider of sponsored search and contextual ads to all of Viacom's 33
 broadband sites, including MTV.com, VH1.com, Nickelodeon.com,
 comedycentral.com and BET.com, with potential expansion to more than 140
 additional Viacom websites across the globe. The ads will be powered by
 Yahoo!'s newly launched search marketing system, known by its project name
 "Panama".
     Philippe Dauman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Viacom, said,
 "This far reaching partnership brings together world-class content and
 technology for the benefit of users and advertisers alike. Yahoo! has made
 impressive strides with its new search marketing system. As a global leader
 in content for every screen and platform, we couldn't be more pleased to
 have them as a partner and we look forward to growing our relationship even
 more over time."
     Yahoo! provides search marketing products and services to hundreds of
 thousands of advertisers in 22 countries worldwide. Currently available in
 the U.S., Yahoo!'s new search marketing system is designed to deliver even
 more relevant sponsored search and contextual ad results to users. By
 encouraging advertisers to focus on the quality of their sponsored search
 and contextual advertisements, Yahoo!'s new system creates a more valuable
 marketplace for users, advertisers and publishers.
     "Viacom is a global leader in entertainment that shares Yahoo!'s
 commitment to connecting users to the content, products and services for
 which they are looking while respecting copyrights and other intellectual
 property rights at the same time," said Terry Semel, chairman and chief
 executive officer, Yahoo! Inc. "Aligning Viacom's popular brands, leading
 content and large audience with Yahoo!'s more targeted, relevant
 advertising, marks the beginning of a powerful and engaging partnership
 between our two companies."
     "Our strategy is to provide our audiences with the most immersive
 entertainment experience possible - on every platform, and this deal with
 Yahoo! increases the monetization of our growing online portfolio," said
 Judy McGrath, Chairman and CEO of MTV Networks.
     Viacom is the number-one online entertainment destination and the 11th
 most-popular overall destination on the Web. In February 2007, more than 90
 million unique viewers flocked to Viacom's online properties, which include
 an array of MTVN and BETN Web sites, as well as its other online properties
 (according to Internal Web Analytics Tracking and duplication from comScore
 Media Metrix February 2007). The company's sites continue to hit new highs
 in traffic and streaming video. MTV.com delivered a record 84 million
 streams in January, exceeded that mark in February with 85.1 million
 streams and again in March set a new record with 93.1 million. MTV.com also
 delivered a record 25.6 million unique visitors in March. Also in March,
 Nickelodeon's online properties had their strongest monthly performance,
 with Nick.com pulling in almost 19 million unique users and TurboNick
 posted more than 80 million streams. comedycentral.com had its best month
 ever for total traffic in March, with 10.7 million unique visitors.
     About Yahoo!
     Yahoo! Inc. is a leading global Internet brand and one of the most
 trafficked Internet destinations worldwide. Yahoo!'s mission is to connect
 people to their passions, their communities, and the world's knowledge.
 Yahoo! is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.
     About Viacom
     Viacom is a leading global entertainment content company, with
 prominent and respected brands. Engaging its audiences through television,
 motion pictures and digital platforms, Viacom seeks to reach its audiences
 however they consume content. Viacom's leading brands include the
 multiplatform properties of MTV Networks, including MTV: Music Television,
 VH1, CMT: Country Music Television, Logo, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, COMEDY
 CENTRAL, Spike TV, TV Land, and more than 130 networks around the world, as
 well as digital assets such as MTV.com, comedycentral.com, VSPOT,
 TurboNick, Neopets, Xfire and iFilm; BET Networks; Paramount Pictures;
 DreamWorks; and Famous Music. More information about Viacom and its
 businesses is available at http://www.viacom.com.
 
 

SOURCE Viacom