Terry Sempel, chief executive of Yahoo! told British TV execs in Cambridge last week that his company offered them their best chance of making money from their archives.

Sempel told delegates at the Royal Television Society conference that online video search was a way "to monetize some of the stuff that's lounging around in warehouses and hasn't made a dime in years", according to Reuters.

He said Yahoo! will commission its own content but it would need a personality to make it distinct from existing broadcast material. The firm recently announced it employed Kevin Sites, a video reporter who made his reputation in Iraq.

Semel forecast that advertising money will continue to move away from TV and onto the internet.

Yahoo and Google are currently battling for the hearts, minds, and content, of broadcasters. The BBC has shown more enthusiasm than most for putting its archive online.

More details on Reuters and The Times.®