An alliance announced today between EarthLink Network and National Media Corporation will soon make it possible to see infomercials without having to get up early or stay up late. Self-help tapes, acne medications, and slicers and dicers could all be coming to a Web site near you.
The first step is a marketing agreement between the Net access provider and National Media, a company that lays claim to 24 percent of the $1 billion infomercial market. The company says it has sold $860 million worth of stuff since 1985.
The agreement calls for National Media to first create and run 15- and 60-second infomercials for EarthLink's TotalAccess Internet software package. Company officials say National Media will be paid a percentage of revenue based on EarthLink's acquisition of new customers. But National Media's president, Mark Hershhorn, expects the deal to serve as a starting point for moving infomercials for all sorts of products to the Internet, acording to a Bloomberg report.