America Online, Time Warner Begin Cross-Promotions

America Online and Time Warner Wednesday started what may be the first of a great number of cross-promotions, making CNN Interactive the premier broadcast news partner for Netscape Netcenter and for ICQ.

The agreement gives Netscape Netcenter users access to CNN.com’s top headlines and to the news organization’s other services. CNN will be prominently featured on the Netcenter home page, and users will soon be able to add the CNN.com service to their personalized My Netscape channel.

In addition, CNN and Netscape are also considering how to integrate other CNN brands into Netscape, and they plan to offer users programming specials including topical CNN-Netscape Instant Polls and talk shows integrated with real-time online chats with key figures in the news.

The ICQ deal calls for it and CNN Interactive to develop a co-branded news product to be distributed through ICQ’s Web site and the ICQ client. CNN will also get a prominent presence on ICQ’s News Channel.

“As we move forward with the merger of AOL and Time Warner to create the world’s first fully integrated Internet-powered media and communications company for the Internet Age, today’s announcements are great examples of the quick synergies we can achieve together and the beginning of what we already know will be an extraordinary partnership,” says Bob Pittman, president and chief operating officer of AOL.