NEW YORK E! Networks has signed two exclusive sponsors, Sony and American Express, for its new multi-advertising platform program, E! Everywhere, which it will roll out in conjunction with this Sunday's coverage on E! of the Academy Awards pre-show, Live From the Red Carpet, hosted by Ryan Seacrest and Isaac Mizrahi.
E! Networks did a test run of the cross-platform sale for the Golden Globes red carpet show in January with L'Oreal, but this latest effort signals a plan by E! to begin offering it not only for special event telecasts, but also for its regular programming.
As part of the buy, the advertisers get 30-second spots in the cable telecast, commercial units within E!'s broadband streaming telecast of the show and within the podcast feed, as well as commercial units at the beginning and end of the telecast when it airs as a video-on-demand presentation on Comcast and Cox cable systems.
E! Everywhere will also be offered to advertisers for E!'s airing of The Simple Life. The network will telecast repeats of the original Fox reality show beginning this month, and will premiere new episodes in June.
E! Everywhere is the brainchild of Ted Harbert, president and CEO of E! Networks. "The concept is that everywhere our viewers are, we can reach them with our programming and advertiser messages with one package," said Neil Baker, executive vp, E! Networks and Comcast Network Sales. "This is something we are going to offer all of our advertisers the option of doing going forward."