• March 18, 2008

Hoping to lure big-spending auto advertisers, NBC Universal has acquired a 35% stake in Car content company driverTV.

DriverTV produces and distributes content for car shoppers and enthusiasts online, as well as across cable TV and video-on-demand platforms. Building on that model, NBCU now plans to expand driverTV's distribution to include NBC.com and MySpace, among other destinations.

DriverTV has existing distribution deals with Web portals like AOL, along with various cable outlets Charter, Comcast, Cox, the Hotel Network, Insight, and Time Warner.

Founded in 2005, driverTV has developed a video catalog of "virtual showroom experiences" in the form of three-minute videos showing a 360-degree interior and exterior view of a specific make and model vehicle.

DriverTV faces plenty of competition from a number of Web video specialists such as RipeTV and Next New Networks.

Still, NBCU is staking a claim to key channel for car consumers at various stages of the buying process. According to eMarketer, 63% of adults used the Web to research their most recent auto purchase or lease decision.

-Gavin O'Malley