The publishers of more than 260 US newspapers are hitching their online aspirations to Internet powerhouse Yahoo in an expanded partnership that underscores the battle lines being drawn as the media grapple for ad revenue shifting to the Web, an Associated Press report said.
The alliance builds upon a consortium announced nearly five months ago, the Associated Press report added.
Since then, the alliance has recruited five more companies, including McClatchy, the third-largest US newspaper publisher based on circulation, the report said.
With the latest additions, the group now spans 264 newspapers in 44 states, up from 176 papers in 38 states in November, the report added.
The newspapers also will funnel more of their stories through Yahoo's heavily trafficked news, finance and sports sections in an effort to lure more readers to their Web sites.
The financial terms and the length of the newspaper consortium's contract with Yahoo were not disclosed, the report further said.