CBS Severs Ties With Online Ad Networks – Not Affect VCLK

Analysts at Lazard Capital maintain their "hold" rating on ValueClick Inc (NASDAQ: VCLK)(FREE stock trend analysis).

According to various reports, CBS Interactive would sever its relationships with third-party online ad networks and would sell website inventory through its own internal sales force and a network. CBS Interactive is not a partner of ValueClick and this development would not affect VCLK directly, Lazard Capital believes.

The trend of large publishers severing ties with advertising networks would not impact online ad networks significantly. There were cases of publishers such as ESPN.com, Weather.com, Turner Networks and Forbes severing ties with online ad networks in the past. Ad networks that are focused on the mid-market will be protected from this sort of a trend. However, ValueClick may face some headline risks, since some publishers may opt for their direct sales forces in the long term, the analysts add.