• by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, November 21, 2005

In a move that expands its out-of-home presence, Yahoo! will provide news headlines, financial information, and blurbs about sports and entertainment to new video screens set to appear Friday in 10 malls in the New York and Los Angeles areas.

The screens are an initiative of the Clear Channel Digital Mall Network--a joint venture of the Clear Channel Outdoor division Clear Channel Malls and Digital Advertising Network, Inc., a Montreal-based provider of digital screen networks.

The Clear Channel Digital Mall Network eventually plans to roll out screens to 200 malls in 20 metropolitan areas. The screens, which measure 4 by 16 feet, will be divided into three parts: the far left section will display Yahoo! content, while the middle and right-hand sections will show ads, including 30-second video ads. The Yahoo! portion of the screens will show just a headline, sports scores, entertainment blurbs, or information from the Yahoo! Buzz Index. Content will be refreshed every 15 minutes.

Clear Channel Malls will own a 51 percent stake in the network, while DAN Media will control 49 percent. The initiative is designed to take advantage of the burgeoning outdoor advertising market. The Outdoor Advertising Association of America recently reported that member revenue for the second quarter alone came to $1.8 billion, marking a 10.2 percent increase from the second quarter of 2004.