Media Span, BIM Partner for ’Multimedia’ Local Net

Pushing hard on “multimedia” capabilities to sell national ads on 1,200 local radio, TV and newspaper Web sites, Media Span and Broadcast Interactive Media  mostly known as Web enablers and sales consultants  are teaming up to provide a one-stop shop for national advertisers.

While the network is a good idea, there is little that is actually multimedia about it. A display ad is basically a display ad here  although some video pre-rolls might be included in the mix. About 90 percent of BIM’s affiliates sell pre-rolls.

It does, however, provide an alternative path to national online ad dollars for 1,100 of Media Span’s (mostly radio) affiliates, and all 110 Broadcast Interactive Media (mostly TV) affils. Advertisers will be able to buy on a geo and/or behavioral basis. The network will be competing with other efforts such as Tacoda, Real Cities, Centro, NNN, DotConnect and WorldNow  especially the latter, since it is mostly TV.

By numbers, most of the Media Span and BIM affils are in smaller markets, where national dollars tend to be scarce. But the Network also includes properties in all top 10 U.S. markets, more than 100 properties in the top 25 markets, and 200 in the top 50. Does the deal suggest a merger is in the works between the two companies? “We’ll still compete on the services side, but now we’ll have two sales teams” going at this, says BIM President Timur Yarnall.