INVISION, INC. Announces Long-Term Deal With The Weather Channel to Renew License for DealMaker Ad Sales System

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Mar 12, 2010, 08:25 ET

NEW YORK, March 12 /PRNewswire/ -- INVISION, INC., the leading provider of advertising planning and sales solutions to the media industry, today announced that The Weather Channel (TWC) has signed a long-term agreement to renew its license for the company's DealMaker Ad Sales System. Under the agreement, TWC will continue its strategic partnership with INVISION and will use the DealMaker system to increase ad sales revenue and streamline its operations through the end of 2015.

"The Weather Channel is one of the most iconic brands in television, and it needs an advertising system that is flexible and scalable to meet its advertisers' needs as it continues to grow," said Lynda Clarizio, CEO of INVISION. "INVISION offers the best suite of advertising sales solutions in the industry, and we're working aggressively to extend those solutions onto new platforms to meet our clients' needs as the online and offline worlds converge. We are proud of our long and successful relationship with The Weather Channel, and we are committed to providing the software and services necessary for its current and future success."

"INVISION gives our advertising team the tools it needs to manage, track, analyze and optimize the revenue we make from our inventory," said Beth Lawrence, executive vice president of advertising sales and media solutions for The Weather Channel Companies (TWCC). "We are pleased to extend our longstanding partnership with INVISION, and we look forward to continuing to build our advertising sales effort with its software and support services."

INVISION's DealMaker system delivers a comprehensive suite of strategic ad sales software, including deal management, inventory control, pricing optimization, compliance, operational CRM analytics, traffic, invoicing, business intelligence reporting and real-time delivery monitoring. Under the agreement, TWC will continue to license the DealMaker ad sales software, as well as the Approvals module and the robust integration module between DealMaker and the VCI Stars II Plus traffic system.

Offered on both an enterprise and hosted basis, INVISION's software-based solutions manage the sale of more than $13 billion in annual television advertising inventory. Through its optimization technology, the company helps its customers increase the revenue yield on available advertising inventory.

About The Weather Channel Companies

The Weather Channel Companies (TWCC) is made up of The Weather Channel television network, The Weather Channel digital properties, and Weather Services International (WSI). The Weather Channel(R) is based in Atlanta and is seen in more than 99 million U.S. households. TWC also operates Weatherscan, a 24-hour all-local weather network; The Weather Channel Radio Network; and The Weather Channel HD. The digital properties of TWC, which include the weather.com(R) site, The Weather Channel Desktop and The Weather Channel Mobile, reach more than 40 million unique users online each month and are the most popular sources of online weather, news and information according to Nielsen//NetRatings. WSI, headquartered in Andover, MA, primarily provides business-to-business weather services, particularly for the media, aviation, marine and energy sectors. TWCC is owned by a consortium made up of NBC Universal and the private equity firms The Blackstone Group and Bain Capital. For more information, visit http://www.weather.com/press.

About INVISION, INC.

Founded in 1993, INVISION, INC. (http://www.invisioninc.com) develops software to support the ad sales and traffic processes for cable networks, broadcast networks, television syndicators and Hispanic-focused media. With offices in New York and Atlanta, INVISION's clients include BET, Bloomberg, Bravo, CNBC, E! Entertainment Television, Galavision, Game Show Network, G4/Tech TV, TV Guide Network, Hallmark Channel, NBC Universal, ION, Sony Pictures Television, Telemundo, Telefutura, WGN America, Azteca America, Univision and Warner Bros.