USA Today Sports Media Group has struck a strategic partnership with NeuLion to bring NeuLion's battery of licensed content under the USA Today Sports Media Group's digital umbrella, as well as create new material that will be distributed by both outfits. Per the deal, NeuLion will become an affiliate member of USA Today Sports Digital Properties, a network of more than 200 digital outlets either owned outright by the company or represented by USA Today Sports Media Group in some fashion for advertisers. USA Today Sports Media Group will gain access to NeuLion content, notably from the more than 170 NCAA digital properties supported by NeuLion. The two companies also are collaborating on a series of as-yet-undisclosed digital programming ventures. "We're trying to continue to evolve our Digital Properties as a premiere network," said USA Today Sports Media Group President Dave Morgan. "This is a great two-way fit." Financial terms were not disclosed, but the pact includes a royalty paid by USA Today Sports Media Group to NeuLion, not unlike what it does with many of its other affiliate partners. "We believe we have created something here that is really new and powerful," said NeuLion Exec VP/Marketplace Stratgey Chris Wagner. Both sides will be selling ad inventory against the partnership. NeuLion also will fold into USA Today Sports Media Group's rollup for purposes of third-party traffic reports such as comScore, creating a unit with a combined digital scope expected to reach more than 50 million unique users.
