• by Wayne Friedman , March 20, 2014

Viacom says it has signed a first-of-its-kind TV network deal with Tumblr, the microblogging platform and social networking Web site, in offering up co-branded campaigns for advertisers for a number of shows.

The partnership, running throughout the 2014 upfront season, will see custom content produced by Viacom for Tumblr across Viacom’s networks -- including MTV, VH1, CMT, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, TV Land, and Spike.

The deal will launch with the “2014 MTV Movie Awards” in April where before, during and after which MTV will post images, videos, and other content on Tumblr.

Viacom says it has been using the Tumblr network since 2009, accessing the site's more than 40 blogs and 3 million followers.

Jeff Lucas, head of sales, music and entertainment of Viacom Media Networks, stated: "Tumblr is a rich environment for creative collaboration with advertisers and an immersive platform for us to tell our story in the fun, authentic voice of our brands.”

Lee Brown, global head of brand partnerships at Tumblr, added: "They embraced our platform at an early stage and immediately got what we were all about: telling great stories and connecting with a super-engaged community of fans."