EBay, the online auction service that has already become a pop-culture icon, is taking bids for a TV series that could enable viewers to purchase items such as artwork and cars via their television sets.
In what could become one of the most extensive ties so far between the TV and the Web, the company says it's negotiating with major networks and other prospective buyers for a show that would presumably let users list and buy the same types of items available on the company's site, including antiques, jewelry and collectibles.
"It would most likely involve trading with an auction-style format," says eBay (EBAY) spokesman Chris Donlay of the proposed TV venture.
While the company declined to elaborate, a person familiar with the negotiations said eBay is close to making a deal with ABC (dossier) for a show that would run five days a week. Representatives from both companies were said to be working out details during a marathon conference call Monday afternoon.
Neither Donlay nor an ABC spokeswoman would confirm the talks. The two companies already have close ties: Last February, eBay and ABC's corporate parent, Walt Disney (DIS), forged a strategic partnership that, among other things, enabled eBay to auction Disney memorabilia online.
Despite that relationship, it seems unlikely ABC would run an eBay series during prime time. But the network could program the show much like a syndicated "strip" on its 10 owned-and-operated stations and also offer it to affiliates.
Developing a branded TV show has been a top priority recently at eBay, which earlier this year hired the William Morris Agency (dossier) to help develop and sell the project, Donlay said. William Morris has played a key role in a number of recent prime-time reality series, including ABC's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
An eBay show would likely arouse intense interest, partly because the five-year-old company is one of the few Internet players that has been consistently profitable. Thanks in part to commissions and fees on items listed for sale, eBay, based in San Jose, Calif., reported net income of $11.6 million for the quarter ended in June on revenue of $97.4 million.
Scott Collins writes for Inside.com. Ben Berkowitz contributed to this report.
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