CNN.com Goes with Google

CNN.com, a longstanding participant in Yahoo’s contextual network, has jumped ship and signed a multi-year deal to join Google’s AdSense program. While Yahoo has been CNN.com’s search and contextual advertising partner for many years, Google will now “serve as the exclusive provider of auction-based text advertisements throughout CNN.com,” according to the companies.

In April 2004, Yahoo extended a prior search agreement with CNN.com. Yahoo said it would continue to power searches made by users of CNN.com and would provide contextual advertising on multiple CNN sites.” Yahoo also extended its status as CNN.com’s exclusive provider of sponsored search ads, but the length of the deal was not disclosed.

Currently, searches conducted at CNN.com are powered by Google, while searches at CNN.com International are still handled by Yahoo. Also, sponsored links at the international site are served by Yahoo! Search Marketing.

“Yahoo did not renew our agreement with CNN in the U.S. because we were unable to agree on a mutually-beneficial extension of the relationship,” said Yahoo spokeswoman Kristen Wareham in an e-mail. “We continue to provide advertising support to CNN internationally.”

Wareham said the loss of CNN.com’s domestic online ad business “will not significantly impact our advertiser traffic.” She said the company “is committed to entering into partnerships that are good for the growth of our business and with partners that deliver high quality traffic to our advertisers