• by Fern Siegel , March 12, 2010

The Weather Channel has signed a long-term agreement to continue licensing Invision's DealMaker integrated ad solutions system. TWC is looking to up its sales revenue while streaming operations through 2015.

Under the agreement, TWC will also license the Approvals module and the integration module between DealMaker and the VCI Stars II Plus traffic system. Beth Lawrence, executive vice president of ad sales and media solutions for The Weather Channel Companies, said Invision gives her team "the tools it needs to manage, track, analyze and optimize the revenue we make from our inventory."

DealMaker aids in deal management, inventory control, pricing optimization, compliance, operational CRM analytics, business intelligence reporting and real-time delivery monitoring.

Invision manages the sale of more than $13 billion in annual television advertising inventory. Other clients include Bloomberg, Bravo, CNBC, MSNBC, E, Gemstar/TV Guide and Univision.

Invision just raised a $5 million second round of funding to build out its technology for addressable TV sales. In addition to the cash infusion, it also named a new CEO, Lynda Clarizio, a former AOL executive, to chart expansion plans into cross-platform sales, and Dwight Gibbs as chief information officer.

The Atlanta-based Weather Channel is seen in more than 99 million U.S. households. TWC also operates Weatherscan, a 24-hour all-local weather network, The Weather Channel Radio Network and The Weather Channel HD.

Since 1993, Invision has developed, installed and hosted software to support ad sales processes for TV and radio networks, stations and syndicators.