• by Tanya Gazdik , April 3, 2008

TheStreet.com is launching its first network-wide programming initiative created by its recently acquired promotions company, Promotions.com.

A new version of the financial media company's "Beat the Street," a fantasy stock-picking game, kicks off tomorrow. It will be promoted across TheStreet.com, MainStreet.com, BankingMyWay.com and Stockpickr.com.

The streamlined game is designed to appeal to both novice stock enthusiasts as well as diehard day traders, said Erika Faust, senior vice president of marketing for TheStreet.com.

Participants in the 12-week promotion will use $250,000 fantasy dollars to create a stock portfolio of five stocks. Players can trade their stocks long or short for a chance to win $5,000 each week or a grand total of $60,000. Modifications in the format of the game--which had two iterations last year--were made to attract an expanded participant pool. This third version is geared toward teaching Wall Street newcomers how to navigate the stock market and make strong trading picks.

"We hope to draw new, unique users to both the site and to the game," Faust told Online Media Daily. "It's not a big-time commitment. You don't have to be in the trading every five minutes."

Faust said advertisers are still being finalized, and the company hopes to have a different main sponsor each week. The game will be advertised externally via search engine marketing and TheStreet's partnership with the larger portals, she said.

"The (actual) stock market is really volatile right now," Faust said. "This is a risk-free way for people to get their feet wet and learn about trading."

The game was created in-house by Promotions.com, whose team has executed some of the largest and most complex games and promotions worldwide, including the McDonald's Monopoly game and promotions for clients such as Coca-Cola and Verizon.

It will feature editorial content from TheStreet.com to provide users with access to stock research, commentary and analysis. The game also includes portfolio management pages where players can view the value of their portfolios and those of their competitors, in addition to a leaderboard that displays which players are up or down at any given time. Players can sign up at www.beatthestreetgame.com starting tomorrow.