A deal struck between Universal Music and Meebo will see ad-supported music videos on the instant-messaging site. In return, Meebo's messaging services will be integrated into Universal's official artist pages to offer real-time chats among fans.
The deal builds on existing ties between the companies, with Meebo previously offering chat room services for a number of online Universal events. These included a virtual "listening party" for the release of Kanye West's 2007 album, Graduation, as well as a live fan chat with rapper LL Cool J.
The video agreement will roll out with videos by artists such as Ludacris and The Killers. Under the agreement, new videos will promote upcoming Universal album releases. The Meebo agreement comes under Universal's video syndication programme, through which the major label syndicates content to affiliate sites.
In the past, Meebo has featured 150 artists in total using its MediaBar ad platform, which offers click-through rates of 1%. Launched in June, this displays a banner ad that expands to include streamed video and additional features such as wallpapers and buddy icons.
"Meebo users are extremely passionate about their music and enjoy sharing that premium content en masse with their friends," says Meebo's COO, Martin Green. "The partnership between Meebo and UMG gives our users the ability to engage with thousands of videos from the world's largest music company."
The deal comes a month after Meebo signed messaging deals with 11 websites, including competition site ibeatyou and sports community BleacherReport. Meebo launched in 2005 and lets users log into a number of IM networks including MSN Messenger, Google Talk and AOL's AIM, with no downloads required.
StrategyEye's related companies: Universal Music Group, Meebo
