Birds Of A Feather: XM, AOL Deal Gets DirecTV Berth

Network Live--an entertainment venture of AOL, XM Satellite Radio, and the entertainment company AEG--Thursday announced that DirecTV will distribute its live music and comedy programs.

DirecTV's 15 million subscribers will get their first taste of Network Live later this month, with a performance by the John Mayer Trio. The next new Network Live offerings are expected by March. Financial terms were not disclosed.

DirecTV will work with Network Live's other distribution partners to promote future events via direct-to-consumer marketing as well as cross-promotional efforts.

Network Live is headed by Kevin Wall, the executive producer of AOL's lauded and highly trafficked Webcasts of Live 8 this summer.

"With this partnership, the music industry now has another valuable marketing touchpoint to reach and connect artists with fans," Wall said in a statement.

The content deals are brokered through AEG, which has contacts with many big-name artists through its management of large venues for live events, including the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, and the Nokia Theatre in Grand Prairie, Texas.

Network Live is monetized through a series of licensing deals with fees paid by distribution channels, be it video-on-demand, mobile video, or HDTV. Existing and future partners are then expected to monetize the content they choose to license. AOL, for instance, accompanies Network Live material with standard online advertising, while XM Satellite Radio charges its users a regular subscriber fee.

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