Under a new agreement, CNBC will air content generated by the 27 million members of professional networking site LinkedIn. CNBC.com will integrate LinkedIn's networking functionality, enabling users to share and discuss news with their professional contacts. Community-generated content such as survey and poll results from LinkedIn will then be broadcast on CNBC. In exchange, the TV network will provide LinkedIn with its programming, articles, blogs, financial data and video content. The agreement is the latest in a string of alliances for LinkedIn, as it tries to woo users from the much larger Facebook.

In a time of declining print revenue, the events industry offers media companies a highly profitable, defensible, Web-resistant platform for growth, says a report by DeSilva + Phillips and AMR International. Trade shows and conferences are "the stars of old media," says Denzil Rankine, CEO of AMR. In the events business, global revenue is $100 billion and the dominant player, Reed Exhibitions, holds only 7%. In more good news, the annual global growth rate has been 6.2% since 2003 and is forecast to be a 5.5% (4.2% in the U.S.) through 2011. Unlike the rest of the media …

Viewership of television broadcasts on the Web has grown about 100% since 2006, to nearly one-fifth of Internet families, per TNS and the Conference Board. Of those viewers, 72% relax by watching TV programs online every day. Users cite portability, time flexibility and the ability to evade commercials as their main reasons for migrating to the Web. News, drama, comedy, reality shows and sports are their favorite programming categories. The most popular places for viewing TV on the PC are the network Web sites, YouTube, Apple's iTunes and Fox/NBC's Hulu. "For consumers PCs enhance content consumption from …

Brand strategists James Gilmore and Joseph Pine wonder what shows like "Desperate Housewives," "Dirty Sexy Money" and "Grey's Anatomy" are doing on the ABC television network, owned by family-friendly Walt Disney Co. To reach peak performance, brands must be consistent and true to self, say the duo, who wrote the landmark book "Authenticity." Since Disney's purchase of ABC in 1995, the network's programming has become racier, instead of transitioning to family fare. For brand consistency, Disney would be better off buying networks such as Nickelodeon. Now it should jettison ABC and keep ESPN, the "jewel in the Cap …

Home décor title Metropolitan Home and cable channel Showtime Networks are shacking up in Manhattan's Gramercy Park for an unusual marketing partnership. The two hired top interior designers to decorate the rooms of a mansion around the themes of popular TV shows. Each designer is using a Showtime original show such as "Dexter," "Californication" and "The L-Word" -- as inspiration. Think of an "L-Word" boudoir or a "Dexter"-inspired dining room with white latex walls covered with blood-red splatter. Showtime executive Len Fogge, says Metropolitan Home's readers "are the kind of audience we're going after. It's a perfect …

In a rare example of a traditional magazine collaborating with a fast-growing digital media upstart, Rodale signed a content syndication partnership with the female-focused ad network Glam Media. The magazine publisher is supplying text, photos, videos and promotions from Women's Health and Prevention to one of Glam's vertical channels, Glam Health. Glam has an audience of over 43 million unique users, per comScore. Most of its growth has come from adding niche blogs and content sites to its network. Rodale executives see the deal as a way to boost online reach for several of their magazines. For …