InfoSpace forms deal with ABCNews.com

Wireless Internet software company InfoSpace on Tuesday said it will offer search features to ABCNews.com and distribute the news service's multimedia content to Verizon's broadband subscribers.

InfoSpace's meta-search engine scrolls through a variety of popular search engines, such as Google, Overture, About, Ask Jeeves and Inktomi. ABCNews.com will use InfoSpace's meta-search engine throughout its site for visitors to access other online information separate from its news content.

In addition, InfoSpace will offer ABCNews's multimedia content to Verizon's DSL (digital subscriber line) customers. InfoSpace currently has a broadband media player that offers high-speed content only to Verizon customers. With this deal, ABCNews will join other content providers, such as MSNBC.com and CNNSI.com, to name a few, that will be available to Verizon subscribers. As part of the service, ABCNews will offer video segments from a handful of its news programs, including "World News Tonight," "Good Morning America," "20/20" and "Primetime Thursday."

For ABCNews, the deal is its latest effort in distributing its online multimedia news reports. ABCNews already has a deal with RealNetworks' RealOne SuperPass, an online video streaming subscription service. Like all content partners on RealOne, ABCNews receives a cut of revenue for its programming, a business arrangement that models the cable industry where content players can get paid by distributors.

ABCNews is also in discussions with Yahoo to distribute its content onto the Web portal's own video streaming service, according to sources. Although Yahoo's service has not launched, the company is expected to unveil details of the service as early as Wednesday when it hosts its Wall Street analyst day.