ITN partners with Joost for sports and news deal

by Alex Donohue, Brand Republic 08-Oct-07, 12:00

LONDON - Internet TV provider Joost has signed a deal with ITN to host its news, entertainment and sports content and to a create film and sports channel.

The content deal will allow Joost users to access up-to-date national and international business news, entertainment stories, and sports and weather reports provided by ITN On, ITN's mobile, broadband and radio service, via Joost internet TV.

The service will also extend to a regular cinema channel, Movie Buff, featuring film reviews, news and interviews, and Sports Fix, a weekly sports bulletin and daily football programme, EPL, covering the English Premier League season. In addition, Joost viewers will be able to access archive ITN news footage from 'On This Day In History'.

For Joost, which was formed by Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, the founders of Skype and Kazaa, the deal follows its appointment of Mike Volpi, the former senior executive of Cisco System's, as replacement chief executive officer for Fredrick de Wahl in June.

Yvette Alberdingk Thijm, executive vice president of content strategy and acquisition at Joost, said: "With quality news, including the English Premier League and Hollywood, ITN will offer Joost viewers content that appeals to both a UK and global audience."