CHICAGO (AFX) -- General Motors, CBS and Comcast unveiled a deal Friday under which GM will sponsor Comcast's video-on-demand presentations of the season finale of 'Survivor' and 'Survivor Reunion,' in a transaction that marks the first time an advertiser will fully sponsor so-called VOD programming.
Financial details were not disclosed.
The episodes of the popular CBS reality series will be available free to Comcast subscribers beginning Monday morning, following their Sunday-night airings on the network, in four markets where CBS owns television stations: Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit and Philadelphia. Viewers are to be permitted to view the shows at any time up to 24 hours after they are ordered, through Aug. 31.
Normally, there is a 99-cent-per-episode charge for CBS's VOD offerings, including 'Survivor,' 'NCIS,' 'CSI: Crime Scene Investigation' and 'The Amazing Race.'
Charlie Thurston, head of the Comcast advertising-sales unit Comcast Spotlight, said the GM sponsorship was an indication that the cable operator is 'committed to developing VOD as an ad-supported platform that offers unique marketing opportunities for our clients and free content for our subscribers,' according to a statement from the company.
'Technology continues to allow us to partner with our clients in new and exciting ways,' said Jo Ann Ross, president of sales at the CBS Television Network, in a statement.
The announcement comes just ahead of next week's 'upfront' presentations in New York, where CBS and the other networks will unveil the shows on their fall schedules to advertisers and sell commercial time in advance of the new season.
CBS and NBC Universal make a number of programs available on Comcast's VOD platform, as companies throughout the industry scramble to keep their content relevant to consumers who demand increasing control over their entertainment options.
VOD and online streaming of content are seen as ways for the networks to add to their television audiences and possibly generate greater advertising revenue. Each of the networks will be making its case for the appeal of multiple platforms to advertisers next week.
Shares of CBS fell 1% to $25.66, while Comcast picked up 11 cents to finish the session at $31.93. GM was up 1.1% to $26.09. This story was supplied by MarketWatch. For further information see www.marketwatch.com.