Contact Information: Contact Information Laura Farrelly NewsGator 303-552-2046 lauraf(at)newsgator(dot)com Jennifer Gazin or Zoe Vandeveer LaunchSquad 415.625.8555 newsgator(at)launchsquad(dot)com
Agence France-Presse and NewsGator Partner to Offer Media Companies Free, Co-Branded Sports Widgets
Olympics Widgets Provide Media Companies With Advertising Revenue & Complimentary Premium Content
| Source: NewsGator
DENVER, CO--(Marketwire - July 9, 2008) - NewsGator Technologies Inc. today announced a
partnership with Agence France-Presse (AFP) to provide widgets featuring
Olympics news and event coverage to media sites at no charge. With this
program, media companies receive complimentary access to premium AFP
content prepackaged in branded and engaging widgets that they can add to
their Web site. The Olympics widgets are supported by advertising and
approved distribution partners are eligible to receive a portion of the
advertising revenue generated by the widgets.
NewsGator-hosted AFP widgets feature popular Olympics content including a
countdown to the Games, event news and results, sports animations, videos,
photos, quizzes and more. Each widget includes the media company's logo
and links to Olympics-related articles and content. The Olympic content is
provided by AFP and actually resides on the media company's Web site. A
media company simply places the widgets on their site. Readers can then
view the widgets and port them to their favorite Web location. Every time
a reader clicks on one of the widget links they are directed back to the
media company's Web site where the full content is displayed on Web pages
that can be monetized with ads.
The Olympics widgets are available free-of-charge and there are no
maintenance or resource requirements. Interested third parties simply
visit NewsGator's Web site
to provide their logo and Web site information*.
"With NewsGator's innovative syndication model, we are extending our brand
and content not only to social networking sites but also to major media
sites," said Gilles Tarot, sales & marketing director for AFP North
America. "The result is significantly greater exposure and increased
online ad revenue for our media partners."
"AFP is offering media companies a truly unique opportunity with access to
premium content that is in high demand," said Jeff Nolan, vice president,
NewsGator Consumer and Media Services. "According to Sports Marketing
Surveys, 203 million people in North America alone watched the 2004 Athens
Games and significant growth in viewership is expected for the 2008 Beijing
Games. We are helping our distribution partners generate revenue off this
program and that's a big deal for media companies -- premium content in a
widget package that features their own branding and we guarantee they
generate revenue."
NewsGator's syndication and data services offerings help media companies,
content publishers and advertisers engage audiences through the use of
social media and Web 2.0 technologies. NewsGator's Web 2.0 syndication
products, including personalized RSS readers, Widget Framework and Widget
Ads, give companies the tools they need to enable their audiences to
create, subscribe and interact with the most relevant content while staying
within the company's brand. For more information, visit
www.NewsGatorWidgets.com.
*Please note: This campaign is available for United States and
Canadian-based companies only and participation is subject to approval by
AFP and NewsGator.
About NewsGator Technologies, Inc.
NewsGator Technologies helps enterprises and media companies leverage
social computing solutions to deliver real business value. The company's
enterprise social networking and widget services are in use by hundreds of
the world's most recognized brands, including Bank of America, Biogen Idec,
CBS, CNN, Discovery, National Geographic, Procter & Gamble and USA Today.
NewsGator Social Sites and Enterprise Server give enterprises better ways
to collaborate, share content, expand employee knowledge and improve
productivity. NewsGator Widget Services enable media and brand companies to
better engage their audiences and extend the value of their brands through
viral syndication of content. NewsGator also offers free, award-winning RSS
aggregators for the Web, desktop, mobile devices and e-mail clients. For
more information, visit www.newsgator.com.
About Agence France-Presse (AFP)
AFP is a global news agency, delivering fast, accurate, in-depth coverage
of the events shaping our world from wars and conflicts to politics,
sports, entertainment and the latest breakthroughs in health, science and
technology. With 2,900 staff and stringers spread across 165 countries, AFP
covers the world 24 hours a day in six languages, delivering the news in
video, text, photographs, multimedia and graphics. For more information
about AFP, please go to www.afp.com.