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K.C. NEEL
Online auction house eBay wants to move to the tube.
eBay is talking to the major broadcast networks, among other television programmers, about developing a TV show that would let viewers list and buy products just like the Web site.
The Web site service is close to signing a deal with ABC, sources close to the company say, adding that the show would run five days a week. The two companies already have close ties. ABC parent Walt Disney last February forged a strategic relationship with eBay, which now sells Disney memorabilia online.
ABC would presumably run an eBay series during primetime, people close to the company say. eBay earlier this year hired the William Morris Agency to help develop and sell the project, eBay spokesman Chris Donlay says.
Meanwhile, eBay is facing a lawsuit that demands the Web site be responsible for the authenticity of the items sold on each of the 4 million auctions it hosts daily.
The suit was filed by six people who claim they purchased forged sports memorabilia on eBay. The plaintiffs claim eBay is a dealer under California state civil code, which requires all dealers and auctioneers to provide certificates of authenticity to the buyers of autographed sports memorabilia.
If the court finds eBay must abide by this regulation, its entire business would be in jeopardy, some analysts maintain. eBay, which earned $10.8 million in 1999 on $224.7 million in sales, does offer links to other authentication service providers on its site.
YACK EXPANDS ON ROAD RUNNER Yack.com has renewed its distribution partnership with Road Runner for another two years. Expanding beyond the original agreement, the broadband version of the complete Yack guide, Fast Yack, will now be fully integrated into various contextualized areas of Road Runner. Fast Yack will be prominently featured on Road Runner's primary channel, each primary channel highlights screen and each "category welcome" screen.
NBCI MERGES SMALL BIZ UNIT WITH BIGVINE NBCi is merging its AllBusiness.com division with online barter marketplace Bigvine to form a Net company targeting small businesses. The new company, which will operate under the AllBusiness name, will combine AllBusiness' content and customer base with Bigvine's transaction engine and barter marketplace.
BAY AREA MOST WIRED IN COUNTRY San Francisco is the most wired city in the United States, according to Nielsen/Net Ratings. Roughly 66% of the Bay Area's residents are connected to the Internet. Nielsen found that 21 cities are cracking the halfway mark for Internet hook-ups. Six months ago, a majority of residents in just five cities - San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego, Portland, Ore., and Washington, D.C. - were connected to the Internet.
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