• by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, May 24, 2005

MSNBC.com recently launched a new subsection, DigitalLife, which resides in the site's technology and science section, sponsored exclusively by consumer electronics retailer Best Buy through April 2006.

Visitors to the home page of the section are greeted with a Best Buy ad at the top of the page that morphs into editorial content. Kyoo Kim, vice president-sales at MSNBC.com, said the format is analogous to a television billboard that announces a sponsorship immediately before a show.

The subsection's home page currently contains a Best Buy logo reminding visitors about the sponsorship, a 300 x 125 graphic ad for Best Buy, and links to merchandise such as cameras and camcorders, available from Best Buy via MSN Shopping.

DigitalLife features articles on topics such as purchasing a satellite radio and pricing of digital televisions, as well as product reviews. Skyscraper ads appear next to the articles. Best Buy is paying for the ads on a cost-per-thousand impression basis, and MSNBC.com has guaranteed a minimum number of viewers each month.

While MSNBC.com did not state how many viewers it promised Best Buy, the technology section typically receives between 500,000 and 1 million page views a month, said Kim. MSNBC.com doesn't have plans for any other similar deals at present. "I would consider this a little bit of a one-off," Kim said. But, he added, that might change in the future--"as long as the money's right."