The station group has expanded its consumer reporting franchise to include an online retail site.
TEGNA has entered the retail business with DealBoss
Leveraging the popularity of its consumer reporting, TEGNA now operates a shopping site of its own called DealBoss, available across its TV stations’ websites.
The shopping platform provides consumers product discounts, information and reviews from major online stores and independent retailers and perks like early access to Amazon Prime prices. DealBoss’s launch on Amazon Prime Day in 2018 included a live stream highlighting the day’s best deals and products.
Although TEGNA has other digital ventures, DealBoss marks the first time the station group has ventured into e-commerce. “We are building out brands and revenue streams and providing utility to our audience,” Ostrow said.
The site is designed to harness the popularity of consumer reporter Matt Granite’s DealBoss TV coverage by building out the brand on digital platforms, said TEGNA chief digital officer Adam Ostrow. Granite’s reports on deals have aired in 15 TEGNA markets since 2011.
DealBoss the shopping site, however, has a life of its own, complete with a Facebook page and consumer email blasts and is available to consumers who don’t live in TEGNA markets. DealBoss also provides TEGNA an additional revenue stream: the station group earns commissions and affiliate fees through partnerships with online retailers.
While DealBoss is TEGNA’s first venture into the retail space, it also builds on the group’s larger push to more fully integrate TV, digital platforms and programming. Daily Blast Live, the group’s daily news and entertainment show, is broadcast in real-time, allowing viewers to interact with the hosts via social media and has a robust online presence across platforms. TEGNA also recently launched the online brand HeartThreads, which produces and streams long- and short-form videos highlighting stories about kindness, love and triumph and will soon migrate to TV.