NEW YORK, NY and FORT LAUDERDALE, FL (January 11, 1999)- LinkShare Corporation (www.linkshare.com), the largest provider of Internet affiliate programs, today announced a partnership with SportsLine USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: SPLN), a leading Internet-based sports media company, to develop an affiliate sales and marketing program for its CBS SportsLine Web site.
An established leader in sports merchandise e-commerce, CBS SportsLine's online retail area, The Sports Store (www.TheSportsStore.com), offers more than 7,000 unique items, including the best selection of sports fan wear, collectibles and memorabilia. LinkShare Synergy ™ Software will enable CBS SportsLine to direct and monitor sales from traffic to its online store.
CBS SportsLine's affiliate program will utilize an innovative online tracking method which enables it to pay commissions to participating sites for product promotions that result in sales of CBS SportsLine products. CEO and Co-founder of LinkShare Corporation, Stephen Dale Messer, stated, "More than one thousand Web sites are registering with LinkShare each week to join affiliate programs. By partnering with CBS SportsLine, we will be able to provide affiliates and their consumers access to the most comprehensive and current sports information and merchandise." He added, "CBS SportsLine is using its affiliate program to sell everything from autographed baseballs and other limited edition collectibles to licensed professional team apparel and the widest selection of golf equipment on the Internet." With thousands of reasons to visit The Sports Store, LinkShare affiliates will enjoy a great opportunity to earn revenue each time a user links from their site to the CBS SportsLine Sports Store and makes a purchase.
"Simply put, we intend to dominate the sports commerce industry," said Michael Levy, president and CEO of SportsLine USA, Inc. "Working with LinkShare to develop our affiliate program will allow us to easily and effectively promote our vast merchandise inventory to thousands of Web sites and to capitalize on the immediacy of the Web by converting sports fans into Web consumers."
About LinkShare Corporation: LinkShare is the premier provider of affiliate programs on the Internet. LinkShare facilitates e-commerce and e-business by providing these solutions to online retailers through a relationship-based network of merchant and content sites. LinkShare's board of directors includes executives from Comcast Corp., Telecommunications Inc. (TCI) and the Internet Capital Group. LinkShare recently won "Best of Class" in the Emerging and Web-Based Solutions category at the Internet Commerce Expo (ICE) in Los Angeles. LinkShare is headquartered in New York City and is privately owned.
About SportsLine USA: SportsLine USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: SPLN) is a leading Internet-based sports media company that provides branded, interactive information and programming as well as merchandise to sports enthusiasts worldwide. SportsLine USA publishes CBS SportsLine, which features more than 400,000 pages of multimedia sports information, entertainment and merchandise covering all major professional, collegiate and international sports and includes exclusive content from sports teams, organizations and superstars such as Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and Shaquille O'Neal. SportsLine USA was founded in 1994, and its Internet sports service was renamed CBS SportsLine in March of 1997 as part of an exclusive five-year promotional and content agreement with CBS Sports.
For Information Contact:
For LinkShare Corporation:
Lauren Diamond
212-532-6410 (ext. 201)
212-679-4484 fax
Lauren@linkcorp.net
For SportsLine USA, Inc.
Bret Werner/Jerry Milani
Alan Taylor Communications
212-714-1280
bret@alantaylor.com
Jerry@alantaylor.com
Editor's Note:
Over 1,000 new sites are registering with The LinkShare Network™ each week to join affiliate programs and earn revenue.