London's Times Online Adds Video

News Corp.’s (London) Times Online has teamed with online video network Roo to add video news, entertainment, and other content to the TV section of its site.

At launch, Times Online TV will be sponsored exclusively by Cisco Systems. Under an agreement which The Times calls a “six-figure deal,” the video player, and surrounding TV pages will include Cisco branding, and there will be :15 and :30 Cisco TV ads inserted in-stream between video clips. The Times Online sales team will handle ad sales.

“Our partnership with Cisco on Times Online TV is important for two reasons,” Ian Clark, advertising director for Times Newspapers Ltd., said in a statement. “Firstly it demonstrates technology innovation in action, and that works well for Cisco as well as for us. Secondly, it’s a strong partnership that shows how we can create advertising environments that work hard for the advertiser, and genuinely cater for audience demand.”

Times Online users will now see video content from Roo’s library of licensed and original video clips, including news bulletins, fashion and entertainment videos and oddball stories from around the world. Content partners in Roo’s network include AP and Reuters. Original content from Times Online and its partners is expected be added to the service eventually.

The Times and Times Online are part of Times Newspaper Ltd (TNL) a subsidiary of News International Ltd which is part of News Corporation.

News Interactive, the digital arm of News Corp’s Australian news division, added Roo’s ad-supported, on-demand video content on its News.com.au site in December.

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