AOL and “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” Announce Partnership

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AOL and Telepictures Productions today launched a partnership in which AOL and The Ellen DeGeneres Show website will share promotion, traffic and content. The partnership will expose the show's site to the millions of AOL users who are in Ellen's key demographic of Women 25-54, significantly increasing traffic to the site. Additionally, the site's current audience, which has grown considerably over the last year, will be exposed to the depth of original content on AOL that is created for this same demographic.

“This partnership launches at an exciting time of growth for Ellen’s brand”

The AOL Lifestyle and AOL Entertainment groups will regularly promote the site to their audiences, leveraging areas that are relevant – from KitchenDaily.com and Popeater to AOL Television. Ellentv.com will promote AOL content on a daily basis, providing links to other AOL sites and working on larger promotional opportunities with related content areas.

Telepictures Productions, the producer of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, will continue to host, maintain and program the site. Videos from the show that are featured on the site will now be distributed across the AOL video network exposing the show’s content to a broader base of “Ellen” fans and consumers of entertainment. Telepictures and AOL will also collaborate on editorial programming and digital sales packages on special events, seasonal, and holiday opportunities. These are likely to include tie-ins and custom deals around such topics as the show’s Twelve Day Give Away during the holiday season, Halloween and Mother’s Day. Social media initiatives will play a significant role in these collaborations, tapping into Ellen’s 10 million plus followers on Twitter and Facebook which make her one of the most popular brands in social media today.

“We are delighted to announce a new partnership with Ellen, Telepictures, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” said David Eun, President of AOL Media and Studios. “Our 21 million average daily users* will now have the opportunity to engage with new, compelling video and content programmed for unique web experiences. This partnership with Ellen is an excellent example of AOL’s commitment to bringing premium content to our audience through strategic partnerships that complement the broad, engaging original content we have across AOL’s network of sites.”

“This partnership launches at an exciting time of growth for Ellen’s brand,” said Hilary Estey McLoughlin, President of Telepictures Productions. “Ellen shares AOL’s commitment to entertain and surprise its audience and we are very pleased to expand the digital presence of the show and our promotional platform enabling us to deliver daily content to an even larger audience. This partnership further enhances the connection between online entertainment and our commitment to promoting “Ellen” on our 200+ local television affiliates.”

The Ellen DeGeneres Show currently ranks #2 in all of syndicated talk shows among the key talk demographic of Women 25-54, following only "Oprah." “Ellen" returns for its eighth season on Monday, September 13th fresh off winning the Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Talk Show.” The new season premieres with an event show from the MTV VMAs with a roster of A-list guests including Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry and others. Premiere week will also feature Ellen taking part in Fashion Week and the US Open in New York.

About The Ellen DeGeneres Show

The show has now earned an impressive total of 31 Daytime Emmy Awards. "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" premiered on September 8, 2003 and was the highest-rated freshman syndicated show of the 2003-2004 season. Originating from Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" is produced by A Very Good Production and WAD Productions, Inc. in association with Telepictures Productions, an industry leading and Emmy award-winning producer of syndicated programming, and is distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution.

About AOL

AOL Inc. (NYSE:AOL) is a leading global Web services company with an extensive suite of brands and offerings and a substantial worldwide audience. AOL’s business spans online content, products and services that the company offers to consumers, publishers and advertisers. AOL is focused on attracting and engaging consumers and providing valuable online advertising services on both AOL’s owned and operated properties and third-party websites. In addition, AOL operates one of the largest Internet subscription access services in the United States, which serves as a valuable distribution channel for AOL’s consumer offerings.

*comScore MediaMetrix July 2010