HotJobs Re-ups Distribution Deal with IBS
UPDATE: The network of local TV stations expands its distribution of HotJobs listings to 55 of its markets.
HotJobs, a Yahoo subsidiary, announced on Wednesday that it expanded its distribution deal with Internet Broadcasting System (IBS), a network of local TV station Web sites.
Under the terms of the new deal, HotJobs listings will appear in the employment section of Web sites in 55 markets, up from 35 under the previous deals. The new agreement adds key markets San Francisco and Seattle. The two companies will also engage in cross-promotion, with IBS stations running 15-second commercials that highlight the HotJobs service. The spots will run in 40 markets.
The financial terms and length of the deal were not disclosed.
“It’s a really nice way for us to augment our national presence [on Yahoo] on a granular, local level,” said Marc Karasu, vice president of marketing and advertising at HotJobs.
HotJobs battles Monster and CareerBuilder for leadership in the online jobs industry. In June, HotJobs drew 4.3 million visitors to Monster’s 11.1 million and CareerBuilder’s 3.9 million visitors, according to Nielsen//NetRatings.
IBS Web sites drew 8.2 million unique vistors in July, according to Nielsen//NetRatings.
HotJobs and IBS first linked up in May 1999 in a deal that made HotJobs the exclusive job listings provider for the network, which then had 41 sites. IBS has a wide variety of stations in its network, from those in large markets like WNBC in New York to small stations like KHBS in Ft. Smith, Arizona.
Each TV spot is tailored for the local market, encouraging viewers to visit the station’s Web site to find a job via HotJobs. The companies said the commercials would have the potential to reach 50 percent of U.S. households.
The market for online recruiting has heated up lately. Earlier this month, industry leader Monster lost two key distribution deals to CareerBuilder on both MSN and AOL. Monster said it chose not to renew the distribution deals for financial reasons, choosing instead to concentrate its efforts on luring more employers to use its service than job seekers.
For CareerBuilder, the two four-year deals valued at $265 million represents a chance to catch up to Monster’s dominance of the space. Owned partially by a trio of newspaper companies — Gannett, Tribune and Knight Ridder — the Reston, Va., company has emphasized its local listings from over 130 newspaper partners.
With IBS, HotJobs hopes to match local job seekers with local companies. According to a company studies, 74 percent of recruiters prefer local candidates and 70 percent of job seekers are unwilling to relocate nationally.
The IBS network has the Web sites of 60 local TV stations, and the company said more than a million visitors had already accessed HotJobs listings in the original deal. IBS concluded a similar deal with AutoTrader to provide car listings on network sites. That deal also includes co-branded TV spots. It has similar deals with Travelocity and Homestore.
