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Viacom Television Stations Digital Media Group Partners with TripAdvisor to Bring Global Travel Content to its 21 CBS Websites
- TripAdvisor's Hotel Reviews, Travel Tools, Destination Guides and More Among New Features as Part of Viacom's 'Always On' Digital Media Initiative
- Partnership Announced in Conjunction with the Launch of New York's Website (wcbstv.com) with Philadelphia, Boston and More to Follow
- Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, Denver, San Francisco, Chicago and Baltimore Sites Already Featuring TripAdvisor's Customized Content
PRNewswire
NEW YORK

The Viacom Television Stations Digital Media Group has partnered with TripAdvisor, Inc. to bring global travel content to its newly designed station websites as part of the previously announced "Always On" digital media initiative. TripAdvisor(TM), the leading global travel information and advice internet destination, will provide summaries of TripAdvisor's hotel reviews, travel tools that allow users to research travel options and links to booking partners, weekend getaway guides, Top Ten lists of travel destinations, travel deals, featured destination guides, travel recommendations and advice and more to each of the Viacom Television Station's websites.

Visitors to each of the newly designed and re-launched websites will now have direct access to travel information and research tools. TripAdvisor's content, stories and updates will be supported by each television station's broadcast and broadband video, creating a unique and powerfully informative local travel portal.

"We are proud to be chosen as Viacom's exclusive travel partner for this important initiative," said Steve Kaufer, CEO of TripAdvisor. "We are looking forward to providing Viacom's audience with refreshingly honest and timely travel information and advice from the millions of TripAdvisor visitors worldwide."

"We are pleased to be able to supplement our station's travel information with TripAdvisor's content," said Jonathan Leess, President & General Manager, Viacom Television Stations Digital Media Group. "The reviews and travel information that they provide will give our local television station website users valuable, unbiased opinions by fellow travelers just like themselves."

The group plans to re-launch websites for all of its CBS stations, including wcbstv.com (New York) the week of August 1, kyw.com (Philadelphia) on September 13 and wbz.com (Boston) on September 19. The station websites in Salt Lake City (kutv.com), Minneapolis (wcco.com), Denver (cbs4denver.com), San Francisco (cbs5.com), Chicago (cbs2chicago.com), and most recently, Baltimore (wjz.com), have already launched. In total, 17 CBS stations will re-launch their websites in 2005, followed by UPN stations in 2006.

About The Viacom Television Stations Group

The Viacom Television Stations Group consists of 40 stations, including 21 CBS, 16 UPN and three stations not affiliated with major networks.

About TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor.com is the leading global travel information and advice destination, with more than 2.4 million unbiased reviews and opinions and covering 200,000+ hotels and attractions. With more than 17 million unique monthly visitors worldwide (source: comScore Media Metrix,) TripAdvisor features real advice from real travelers and easy access to major online travel sites, including Expedia, Orbitz, Hotels.com and American Airlines, for the best deals on the Web. TripAdvisor offers travel suppliers a cost-per-click marketing platform, so customers pay only for leads, not impressions, with every campaign. Winner of dozens of awards, including PC Magazine's Top 100 Web Sites and Forbes Best of the Web, TripAdvisor is part of IAC/InterActiveCorp .

SOURCE: TripAdvisor

CONTACT: Brooke Ferencsik of TripAdvisor, +1-781-444-1113 ext 275, or
brooke@tripadvisor.com; or Dana McClintock of VTSG for TripAdvisor,
+1-212-975-1077, or dlmcclintock@cbs.com