CBS Sportsline (Nasdaq: SPLN) will launch a new affiliate program to resell its line of sports-related merchandise online. The program will be named the 'Premier Sports Internet Affiliate Network' and will be developed with LinkShare Corporation, a provider of Internet affiliate program technology.
This is the first time a major sports news site has announced such an ambitious e-commerce reseller program, and will probably pave the road for many more to come. Sports news sites are among the most popular destinations on the Internet, alongside general news and stock trading Web sites.
Currently, CBS Sports operates an online store, known as The Sports Store, which offers more than 7,000 unique items, including sports fan wear, collectibles and memorabilia. Under the new reseller program announced Monday, LinkShare SynergyTM Software will enable CBS SportsLine to direct and monitor sales from traffic to its online store. CBS SportsLine's new affiliate program will utilize an online tracking method which enables it to pay commissions to participating sites for product promotions that result in sales of CBS SportsLine products.
"Simply put, we intend to dominate the sports commerce industry," said Michael Levy, president and CEO of SportsLine USA, Inc.
Corporate Backgrounds
SportsLine USA, Inc.
SportsLine USA, Inc. is an Internet-based sports media company that publishes CBS SportsLine, a sports information and e-commerce site. The company was founded in 1994, and its Internet sports service was renamed CBS SportsLine in March of 1997 as part of an exclusive five-year promotional and content agreement with CBS Sports.
LinkShare Corporation
LinkShare is a provider of Internet affiliate program technology for e-businesses. LinkShare's board of directors includes executives from Comcast Corp., Telecommunications Inc. (TCI), and the Internet Capital Group. LinkShare recently won 'Best of Class' in the 'Emerging and Web-Based Solutions' category at the Internet Commerce Expo (ICE) in Los Angeles. LinkShare is headquartered in New York City and is privately owned.
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