Ronco Signs Infomercial Deal With Entertainment Boulevard

LA Group Inc., operator of the Ronco and Seen on TV Web sites, expanded its relationship for the Ronco site by entering into a revenue-sharing agreement for infomercials with Entertainment Boulevard.

Entertainment Boulevard, operator of entertainment sites including music video site Vidnet, Screen Clips and Pro Sports Net, is creating Netfomercial, featuring online streaming video infomercials which present products ranging from fitness to auto to home.

Entertainment Boulevard will broadcast infomercials for Ronco products over the Netfomercial site. Viewers will be able to see two- to five-minute infomercials of Ronco products prior to purchasing them, and in exchange Entertainment Boulevard will receive a percentage of the purchase price of each product sold.

In addition, Entertainment Boulevard will develop and host a pop-up player to be used on any additional sites that the LA Group designates to broadcast the Ronco infomercials, and Entertainment Boulevard will also share in revenues from sales generated by these sites.

“We look forward to providing Entertainment Boulevard with many more infomercials,” said Dan Fasano, president of Rochester, NY-based LA Group Inc. “I look at this alliance with a premier content provider like Entertainment Boulevard as just the beginning for developing the largest infomercial destination on the Web.”

Ronco Inventions is a marketer of products via direct response television. Starting in the 1950s, its owner, Ron Popeil, pioneered the sale of products through 800 numbers advertised on television with such items as the Veg-O-Matic, Mr. Microphone, and Buttoneer. The company now markets the Ronco Electric Food Dehydrator, Popeil Automatic Pasta Maker and the Showtime Rotisserie & BBQ.

Los Angeles-based Entertainment Boulevard Inc. was founded in 1997 by former music industry executive Stephen Brown. It is launching new Web sites under the umbrella of EntertainmentBlvd.com.