OMG! CBS Closes Deal to Re-Invent 'The Insider'

CBS Television Distribution made it official on Tuesday: TV magazine show The Insider will now be called omg! Insider, as part of a deal with Yahoo!

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Kevin Frazier and Brooke Anderson, current hosts of The Insider, will continue to host the show. It will now also feature Yahoo! talent including Kristen Aldridge and Michael Yo. Aldridge currently hosts omg!’s daily online news show, which has been online since 2007.

The news about the joint venture first leaked in early October. The new show will begin to air in January 2013.

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The intent is to create a “multiplatform entertainment magazine,” according to the announcement, which calls it “a true web and on-air collaboration that aims to reinvent how consumers access entertainment news across screens.”

Yahoo’s entertainment news site, omg! will now be the exclusive home for video provided by the TV show. There will also be photos, celebrity interviews, editorial content and new interactive features.

The announcement predicts the new joint venture will provide a “substantial promotional platform for TV stations partners,” with breaking news posted throughout the day.

Joe DiSalvo, President of Sales for CTD, said in a statement:  “We’re adding value to The Insider by tapping into an online audience in the millions and taking advantage of Yahoo!’s omg! brand and its loyal following. Our stations will also get an unparalleled promotional opportunity online. This is the perfect example of what the convergence of broadcast and digital is all about.”

Marissa Mayer, the recently appointed CEO of Yahoo! said in a statement:  “Yahoo! is focused on bringing the most personalized and relevant information to our users. Original video content and branded multi-screen programming help us to deliver on that promise. We're proud to collaborate with CBS Television Distribution to bring omg! Insider to millions of viewers in such a unique and exciting way.”

This is an apparent effort to ramp up interest in The Insider, which started as a spin-off of Entertainment Tonight but has never been able to hold that show’s audience, or build as high a profile as a separate show.

The Insider is now in its 9th season and is produced by Linda Bell Blue, as is Entertainment Tonight. In the latest national syndicated ratings released Tuesday, E.T. is the 13th most popular syndicated show and the top rated entertainment news magazine with a 5.1 household rating, a 2.0 rating in the key demographic group of women 25 to 54, with an average daily audience of 5.1 million viewers.

The Insider, which is paired with E.T. in many markets, ranks as the 52nd most popular syndicated show with a 1.5 household rating, a 0.9 in the key demo, with an average of 2 million viewers a day.

Brad Bessey, who used to be an executive producer on E.T., returns to be executive producer of the re-invented omg! Insider along with Blue.