This morning we’re announcing a major new alliance with Yahoo! that will vault ABC News to the forefront of digital news and information.  Starting today, we will be the premier news provider across the Yahoo! News Network and we will co-produce original web series featuring ABC anchors and correspondents.

Teaming with Yahoo! will transform the future of ABC News by distributing your journalism to a vast new audience – some 100 million people a month on the new Yahoo! News – ABC News Network.

This relationship will give ABC News an unrivaled ability to reach across the Web, combining Yahoo!’s vast distribution and cutting-edge technology with our award-winning journalism.

We’ve spoken many times about our goals for ABC News: Unity, Creativity and Reach.  Partnering with Yahoo! hits the sweet spot of each of those goals and fuels our strategy to win the future of news and information. 

For years, we’ve proudly proclaimed that more Americans get their news from ABC News than any other source.  Going forward, we will greatly expand this leadership by building a connection with a whole new online audience.

Here are the key elements of our far-reaching relationship with Yahoo! -

• Even greater, easier access to ABC News journalism - branded ABC News content will now appear on the Yahoo! News Network – the #1 online news destination in the U.S.;  ABC News will be the premier news provider on Yahoo! News, prominently integrated across the entire Yahoo! network.

• Launch of  GoodMorningAmerica.com - a highly-interactive online destination within the Yahoo! network offering our audience more ways to connect before, during and after the broadcast 24/7.

• New original web series from ABC News anchors and correspondents – ABC News and Yahoo! will team up to launch an exclusive slate of original video programming featuring ABC News anchors including Diane Sawyer, Barbara Walters, George Stephanopoulos, Christiane Amanpour, Katie Couric, Bill Weir, Dr. Richard Besser and others.

We’ve been working for many months on this important and powerful alliance. I hope you’ll join me in the 5 th floor newsroom at 11:00 a.m. ET today to celebrate this new relationship and toast Joe Ruffolo and the stealth team that worked creatively and tirelessly to make it happen.

In the meantime, you’ll find more information here.