Yahoo brings on Katie Couric as its new Global Anchor

Couric will begin her new role next year, and will also be continuing to host her ABC talk show

It was reported this past weekend that Yahoo was going to be making a big, splashy, new hire, by bringing on television news celebrity Katie Couric. And now the company has made the hire official.

Couric will be joining Yahoo as its Global Anchor starting at an unspecified date in 2014, the company announced on Monday.

The company described what Couric's responsibilities as helping to develop Yahoo News coverage " with a growing team of global correspondents who will report on live world events, anchor groundbreaking interviews with major newsmakers and thought leaders, and much more."

So basically it sounds like she is going back to her old job as anchor of the CBS Evening News, which she held from 2006 to 2011.

Couric already had a job: as host of her daytime talk show on ABC, called "Katie," which is currently in its second season. It had been speculated that she would be leaving both ABC and the show. It is now being made clear that Couric will remain with her talk show through the remainder of this season, though its renewal for any additional season seems to be in serious doubt. 

Couric and Yahoo already have a relationship, as featured clips from show have been appearing on the site as "Katie's Take."

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer wrote a blog post on Monday in which she called Couric "the face of Yahoo News."

"I’ve always respected Katie for her thoughtful, charismatic approach to journalism," she said of Couric.

"From pivotal coverage of natural disasters and historic elections to the Royal Wedding and the Olympic Games, groundbreaking interviews with heads of state and leading tastemakers, her experience is unmatched. Katie is dynamic, savvy and has a way of connecting with viewers that I really admire."

And Couric reciprocated right back.

"I have great admiration for Marissa Mayer and her team and their commitment to bringing news, entertainment and information to the Yahoo community across multiple platforms," Couric said in a statement. "Joining Yahoo offers a tremendous opportunity to reach people all around the world in the way that they're using and consuming media today."

Couric is just the latest well-known journalist to join Yahoo in recent months.

In September, Yahoo brought in Megan Liberman, deputy news editor of The New York Times, as its editor-in-chief. 

In October, Yahoo hired 13-year New York Times veteran David Pogue for a new consumer tech site. Then earlier this month it brought in Matt Bai, chief political correspondent for the New York Times Magazine as its national political columnist, and hired 

But Couric is obviously the most well known of all these hires, and is a big get for Yahoo, which has been emphasizing original content and video since Mayer took over the company last year.

That has included deals for exclusive streaming right, such as one with Broadway Video to stream 38 years of archived Saturday Night Live footage, and made another with Viacom to deliver clips from Comedy Central shows, including The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report

And there has also been original content, such a Burning Love, which is set to debut on the E! Network, Ghost Ghirls, which stars Jack Black, and Losing It With John Stamos.

Bringing Couric on board serves multiple purposes: it immediately legitimizes the news division, makes Yahoo seem like a fresh, vibrant company that can pull in top talent and gives the company a personality that will drive in ratings.

This is a huge win for Yahoo.

(Image source: https://www.deadline.com)