MUMBAI: Viacom and Yahoo! Inc. have inked a multi-year partnership under which Yahoo! will serve as the exclusive provider of sponsored search and contextual ads to all of Viacom’s 33 broadband sites, including MTV.com, VH1.com, Nickelodeon.com, comedycentral.com and BET.com, with potential expansion to more than 140 additional Viacom websites across the globe.

The ads will be powered by Yahoo!’s newly launched search marketing system, known by its project name “Panama.”

Viacom president and CEO Philippe Dauman said, “This far reaching partnership brings together world-class content and technology for the benefit of users and advertisers alike. Yahoo! has made impressive strides with its new search marketing system. As a global leader in content for every screen and platform, we couldn’t be more pleased to have them as a partner and we look forward to growing our relationship even more over time.”

“Viacom is a global leader in entertainment that shares Yahoo!’s commitment to connecting users to the content, products and services for which they are looking while respecting copyrights and other intellectual property rights at the same time. Aligning Viacom’s popular brands, leading content and large audience with Yahoo!’s more targeted, relevant advertising, marks the beginning of a powerful and engaging partnership between our two companies,” said Yahoo! Inc chairman and CEO Terry Semel.

“Our strategy is to provide our audiences with the most immersive entertainment experience possible – on every platform, and this deal with Yahoo! increases the monetization of our growing online portfolio,” added MTV Networks chairman and CEO Judy McGrath.