ITN And Midland News Association Sign Up Online Partnership

Midland News Association has become the first regional newspaper to sign up for ITN's Premium News Network, a full service ad-funded video news player solution monetised at premium rates for national, regional and local websites.

News content produced by multimedia division ITN On will now appear across Midland News Association's leading websites expressandstar.com and shropshirestar.com

ITN On will provide high quality video news clips and a bespoke video player, funded by advertising sold through blinkx - the world's largest video search engine. With a dedicated five strong sales team, blinkx serves advertising around ITN On content with revenue shared between all three parties. Content is currently monetised on the Premium News Network by campaigns from leading consumer brands including Blackberry, Lucozade and Camelot.

This partnership extends the reach of ITN's Premium News Network which is already taken by the Mailonline, ITN.co.uk and Express Group websites.

John Hardie, Chief Executive Officer of ITN, said: "I'm delighted to announce this new deal. It shows in practice how a national TV news provider can work with regional and local news suppliers allowing them to enhance their online output.

"I look forward to further partnerships with media outlets in regions throughout the UK. The Premium News Network enables us to deliver publishers a proven product which comes at no cost to them. The result is the addition of high quality video journalism from ITN, a more engaging website for users and ultimately a fresh revenue stream for all parties involved."

Chris Leggett, Electronic Editor for Midland News Association, added: "As the publisher of two of Britain's biggest regional newspapers, the Express & Star and Shropshire Star, we are delighted to be leading the way by teaming up with a leading video news provider on this exciting project."

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