MySpace and TMZ launch Web channel

By Alex Woodson

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - MySpace and TMZ are set to launch a branded channel Wednesday on the social networking site's TV page.

TMZ will contribute two or three clips per week to MySpace TV (vids.myspace.com/). These videos, which will have already screened on the celebrity news site's syndicated TV program. will be found online exclusively on MySpace for 24 hours after the airing.

Additionally, TMZ will provide MySpace with as many as 15 clips each week on a nonexclusive basis.

TMZ.com (www.tmz.com) launched on Time Warner-owned AOL in December 2005 and has become one of the Web's most heavily trafficked gossip sites, attracting nearly 11 million unique visitors last month, according to comScore. TMZ's show debuted in September and is the top-rated freshman syndicated show, averaging a 2.3 household rating for the week ending February 10.

MySpace TV also has branded channels from BBC, National Geographic, Sony's Minisode Network, the New York Times and others. The site also distributes News Corp. and NBC Universal content via Hulu.

MySpace launched a celebrity channel last month with contributions from People magazine and Getty Images. That page, though, has a more positive tone, while TMZ has made its name breaking the more salacious Hollywood stories.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter