In a move to bolster its position in the yet-to-be-profitable world of internet news services, Time Warner Inc’s Cable News Network has formed an alliance with Oracle Corp. Both parties affirmed their commitment to keeping the CNN site – which boasts the top spot in the internet news field with between 2 and 3 million users per week – ahead of the ever-increasing pack, which includes Microsoft Corp’s MSNBC service. At a press conference in Atlanta, Oracle chief Larry Ellison and CNN founder Ted Turner were on hand to launch the new CNN Custom News Service, which is built on Oracle’s Web Application Server, Universal Data Server and ConText. The service, which will be free, allows users to create personalized custom news pages. Citicorp is said to be the first sponsor for the new service.
