• by Shankar Gupta , January 17, 2007

Media sales firm WorldLink and online video network Broadband Enterprises have partnered to place direct response video advertising in front of streaming video viewers.

The deal, which will cover ad inventory on Broadband Enterprises' network of 1,700 video Web sites, aims to capitalize on WorldLink's existing relationship with direct marketers, including companies like Nintendo, Eddie Bauer, Allstate, Genie and Novartis.

Toni Knight, CEO of WorldLink, said the goal is to bring advertisers that currently focus on direct marketing on television to the Web. "We want to take a lot of these advertisers that are in the direct response space and offer them a new platform to reach consumers," Knight said.

WorldLink will provide creative help to marketers who need assistance with Web ads, Knight said. "Some may have specific creatives that they want to use for online," she said. "For others, we'll see if we can take their TV creative and shorten it up for online."

"For advertisers that have never done online before, it's a way for them to get into this new platform," she added.

Knight said that WorldLink was talking with agencies about the program.