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Yahoo!, NBC Universal Television Group and Telemundo Create Leading Internet Property for U.S. Hispanic Market; Combination of Online and On-Air Assets to Redefine U.S. Hispanic Media Landscape

Posted on: Wednesday, 10 May 2006, 09:09 CDT

Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO), NBC Universal Television Group and Telemundo today jointly announced that they will combine their U.S. Hispanic Internet properties to form a co-branded Internet business to be called Yahoo! Telemundo (http://telemundo.yahoo.com). The new entity will seamlessly integrate Yahoo! services with Telemundo content, and will replace the existing sites of Yahoo! en espanol (http://espanol.yahoo.com) and Telemundo's Telemundo.com. Starting today, users who visit the new and old URLs of either company will see new branding on the front pages. Further asset integration will be rolled out in phases over the coming months and the properties will grow into one Yahoo! Telemundo. The announcement was made by Don Browne, President, Telemundo; Randy Falco, Chief Operating Officer, NBC Universal Television Group; and Greg Coleman, executive vice president for Yahoo! global sales.

Under the terms of the agreement, Yahoo! and Telemundo.com will merge staff and share advertising revenue, but neither company will make any equity investment in the other. Luis Romero, a seasoned sales manager in the digital and broadcast space, will lead sales efforts for the new co-branded property.

This agreement marks the first time that a national Hispanic television network will partner with an established Hispanic online service to provide the best of both online and broadcast media content for users and advertisers. The new partnership will create a richer online user experience, adding Telemundo's cadre of original programming across sports, music, entertainment and other content to Yahoo! en espanol's award-winning online tools and services, including Yahoo! Search, Mail and Messenger, among others.

"This merger provides us with an excellent platform to position Telemundo for the future," said Falco. "Our partnership with Yahoo! is a win-win deal for both sides that will drive more hits to the site and ultimately expand our capabilities."

"By combining the services Yahoo! is known and loved for with Telemundo's content, we will provide the most comprehensive experience for U.S. Hispanic consumers and extend both companies' strong position in U.S. Hispanic media," said Coleman. "Additionally, Yahoo! Telemundo will provide an unbeatable platform for advertisers to reach the largest and most engaged U.S. Hispanic community online, on-air and on the go."

Yahoo! Telemundo will combine creative solutions and new advertising technologies with original programming to create uniquely integrated media campaigns that will enable advertisers to reach U.S. Hispanics all in one place. This will also enable marketers to promote their brands, products and services through a combined offering which already captures the largest online U.S. Hispanic audience, more than 11.5 million strong(1).

"This partnership is a natural evolution of the larger strategy Telemundo and its Digital Media team have been developing during the last eight months, a strategy that is strongly anchored on providing relevant original programming to the U.S. Hispanic consumers through multiple platforms," said Browne. "We looked for a partner with superior audience reach, a respected brand, excellent technology and a shared vision of where the business is going. Yahoo! definitely represents all these."

"This is a game-changing deal that will reshape the U.S. Hispanic Internet business as we know it -- in terms of user engagement, customer value and monetization," said Jose Rivera Font, general manager, Yahoo! North Latin America. "Yahoo! Telemundo will provide the kind of cross-media interaction that will deliver an integrated and immersive media experience for both users and advertisers."

"This exciting and historic integration between these two powerful Internet entities will afford advertisers a more powerful platform and a competitive marketing edge to reach a gargantuan audience that has been relatively untapped," said Keith Turner, President, NBC Universal Sales & Marketing. "Equally important and transforming will be that it will ultimately benefit the Hispanic online consumer with an enhanced news and entertainment experience as delivered by Telemundo and Yahoo!."

Yahoo! Telemundo will enhance and create more engaging user experiences around Telemundo's on-air programming by integrating personalization, communities and user-generated content. The new entity will also include content offerings tailored to first, second and third generation U.S. Hispanics through Spanish-language, bilingual and English-language content sections.

About Yahoo!

Yahoo! Inc. is a leading global internet brand and one of the most trafficked Internet destinations worldwide. Yahoo! seeks to provide online products and services essential to users' lives, and offers a full range of tools and marketing solutions for businesses to connect with Internet users around the world. Yahoo! is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.

About Telemundo

Telemundo, a U.S. Spanish-language television network, is the essential entertainment, news and sports source for Hispanics. Broadcasting unique national and local programming for the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population, Telemundo reaches 93% of U.S. Hispanic households in 142 markets through its 16 owned-and-operated stations, 36 broadcast affiliates and nearly 684 cable affiliates. Telemundo is wholly owned by NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies.

About NBC Universal

NBC Universal is one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80 percent owned by General Electric and 20 percent owned by Vivendi Universal.

(1)comScore Media Metrix, March 2006

Source: Business Wire

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