Sports Social Networking on the rise in UK via ITN

By Kevin Hilton

Sport is a big part of online social networking and as part of its new
partnership with Bebo British news broadcaster ITN will be providing
packages featuring the latest football news, with the opportunity for
subscribers to upload footage of their own teams. ITN has
already established an online presence through its own site and by
teaming up with YouTube and now will have its own player on Bebo’s Open
Media video site. In addition to sport the broadcaster will be
supplying showbiz news, as well as off-beam stories, to Bebo’s global
user base of 40 million people.

This will be paid for through pre-roll commercials, produced by ad.com.
Plans are already in place for ITN to provide video material and blogs
tailored to the interests and activities of Bebo members.

The
ITN content on Bebo is being arranged in four categories. Sports Fix
will have the latest headlines, plus a short magazine show with footage
of amateur teams, managers in embarrassing situations, recreations of
the week’s best goals and WAG Watch, following the wives and
girlfriends of the big names in football.

Planet Goss features
entertainment news, plus bloopers and stars being given unusual
challenges, while Bollywood Insider has a weekly show about the Indian
film business and a daily blog by presenter Suzi Mann. Quirky stories
are featured in Crazy Wild Cool, with material from the ITN archive,
including animals in cute or funny situations and the ever popular
outtakes.

Commenting on this latest association for the
broadcaster Nicholas Wheeler, managing director of online division ITN
On, said, “We have always believed in getting our content to the
audience wherever they are. Now we know they are on Bebo in a big way
we want to be part of it.”