Media General and Groupon Announce Partnership for Locally Branded Deals

RICHMOND, Va., Oct. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Media General, Inc. (NYSE: MEG) and Groupon today announced a partnership that will enable Media General to offer exclusive daily advertiser deals under the company's local media brand names and powered by Groupon.  This week, the Richmond Times-Dispatch became the company's first media platform to offer the service through its website.  Media General plans to launch the service in six additional markets by the end of the year.  

"Media General has achieved success over the past few years connecting buyers and sellers with deals and coupons in the digital world and sharing revenues based on a transaction.  We are pleased to add Groupon-powered deals to our portfolio of new digital advertising services," said Marshall N. Morton, president and chief executive officer of Media General.  "Advertisers like this new form of promotion because they pay only when consumers redeem their offer.  Consumer redemption also provides retailers with valuable local foot traffic.  For Media General, offering deeply discounted buying opportunities is another way to attract audience to our local media websites and create a new revenue stream," said Mr. Morton.  

Media General's locally branded deal in the Richmond market is called the "Richmond Daily Deal."  Consumers can subscribe on www.timesdispatch.com to receive an e-mail alert with the details of each daily deal.  Deals also are shared on the newspaper's Facebook page and Twitter feed.  Groupon-powered deals require a minimum number of redemptions for a deal to become active, which encourages consumers to share the promotion with their contacts via e-mail or social media, further heightening awareness of the advertiser's offer.  Groupon also provides daily deals and discounts under its own name in more than 200 markets around the world.  

"Groupon is excited to partner with Media General and provide local merchants with a major alternative website where they can run additional deals," said Sean Smyth, Groupon vice president of business development.  "This partnership blends Media General's and Groupon's strengths to support local business marketing and pass on substantial savings and favorable experiences to consumers."

Under the partnership, Groupon sales representatives negotiate the deals with local advertisers.  Groupon also produces the creative for each daily promotion and Media General distributes the e-mail alerts to its subscribers who have signed up to receive them.

Media General also operates Dealtaker.com, a fast-growing coupon and shopping website, which partners with over 2,000 retailers and features discounts on 15 million products and services from national retailers.  Media General is compensated as a percentage of actual sales transactions.  In Tampa, Fla., the company's website www.tbo.com offers its own version of a "Daily Deal" that has operated since June 2010, targeting local restaurants, retailers, services and events.  Tampa's program also shares revenues with advertisers based on consumer redemptions of an offer.

To learn more about The Times-Dispatch's "Richmond Daily Deal" visit http://www2.timesdispatch.com/shopping-deals/richmond-daily-deal/

About Media General

Media General is a leading provider of news, information and entertainment across multiple media platforms, serving consumers and advertisers in strong local markets, primarily in the Southeastern United States.  Media General's operations are organized in five geographic market segments and a sixth segment that includes the company's interactive advertising services and certain other operations.  The company's operations include 18 network-affiliated television stations and their associated websites, three metropolitan and 20 community newspapers and their associated websites, and more than 200 specialty publications that include weekly newspapers and niche publications targeted to various demographic, geographic and topical communities of interest.  Many of the company's specialty publications have associated websites.  Media General additionally operates three interactive advertising services companies:  Blockdot, which specializes in interactive entertainment and advergaming technologies; DealTaker.com, a coupon and shopping website; and NetInformer, a leading provider of wireless media and mobile marketing services.

About Groupon

Groupon, launched in November 2008 in Chicago, features a daily deal on the best stuff to do, eat, see and buy in more than 240 markets around the world.  Groupon uses collective buying power to offer unbeatable prices and provide a win-win for businesses and consumers.  For more information, visit http://www.groupon.com.

To get Groupon's daily free e-mail for the best in your city, subscribe at http://www.groupon.com.

For more information on Groupon apps for the iPhone and Android, visit http://www.groupon.com/mobile.

To learn more on how to become a featured business on Groupon, visit http://www.grouponworks.com.

www.mediageneral.com

SOURCE Media General, Inc.