Yahoo has followed Google into signing a deal with US newspapers allowing them to share online advertising, content and technology.

The deal with seven US newspaper groups includes 176 regional papers, which will start using Yahoo's HotJobs classified jobs site from December.

The companies that have signed on with Yahoo include Cox Newspapers Inc., Belo Corp., Hearst Corp., the E.W. Scripps Co., MediaNews Group Inc., Lee Enterprises and the Journal Register Co.

The deal will boost Yahoo's regional exposure and gives the papers national reach for their local ads and content.

"Most local newspapers have done a pretty good job of generating local revenue into sites", said Leon Levitt, vice president for digital media for Cox Newspapers. "It's so much harder to generate national revenue because a lot of advertisers don't want to deal with 100 different newspapers. This will make it simple."

Hilary Schneider, senior vice president of marketplaces for Yahoo, said the arrangement provides "an enormous database of additional job listings" and gives local newspapers a wider audience.

Last month Google announced a similar partnership with over 50 American newspapers that allowed the search engine to offer key advertisers a chance to advertise in newspapers in a similar way to how they currently advertise on the web.

The program is Google's first foray into the sale and placement of display advertising in newspapers and sees the company make a shift from its online focus to a more traditional advertising medium.