Excite, Prodigy do content deal
The two companies form an alliance whereby Excite will provide cobranded versions of its content to Prodigy Internet subscribers.
Prodigy subscribers will be able to personalize their Web content with the My Excite Channel to get sports scores, stock quotes, TV listings, and local weather information. Prodigy's customers also will get custom versions of its search service. Both companies are set to begin offering new services to Prodigy subscribers in April.
"This is just the beginning of a long and important relationship that our companies will share," said Prodigy chief executive Russ Pillar in a statement.
Today's nonexclusive deal comes less than two weeks after Yahoo said it would get into the Net access business through a partnership with MCI Internet. The service, dubbed Yahoo Online, is powered by MCI, with Yahoo's content aggregation. It will roll out later this quarter.
These deals are another example of the blurring lines between online services and search engines. The competition is stiff on both sides.