• Click Z Network, Monday, April 24, 2006 10:33 AM

Gemstar-TV Guide's online unit, TVGuide.com, has watched for a couple of years as literally thousands of blogs have developed around TV and individual TV shows.  Now, at last, the company is leaping into the vast blogosphere, hoping to use its considerable clout to attract readers and, eventually, advertisers.  The company launched 65 blogs last week. Later in the year--when the fall TV season gets under way- it will introduce more and, simultaneously, put more emphasis behind the new initiative.  "Though display ads are running in between blog posts, no advertisers have actually purchased placements specifically for the blogs yet," reports Click Z News.  Jim Hoos, director of TVGuide.com's national ad sales, expects advertisers will be interested in targeting the blogs' younger demographic based on the specific blogs they visit. When it comes to attracting advertisers, the blogs "give us a lot more credibility in terms of our audience interacting with the site," says Hoos. "As we create more and more content through the blogging, we'll be able to offer many more sponsorships around the blogs."  TV Guide's effort to attract younger audiences began last year with the launch of Inside TV magazine, a weekly.  It failed to ignite and quickly folded. TV Guide magazine itself was remade some months ago, with an emphasis on younger readers.  Gemstar-TV Guide reports that newsstand sales of the revised weekly have been encouraging thus far. 

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