Rakuten Inc. and Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc. will launch a committee this weekend to consider tieups for combining broadcasting and Internet services, the first negotiations since Rakuten withdrew its management integration proposal last week, sources said Monday.

According to the sources, the two are expected to discuss the procedures of the talks and the specific content of their business alliance in four areas, including e-commerce linked with TV programs and Net broadcasting.

The shareholding ratio of Japan's largest online shopping mall operator in the major broadcaster will be discussed separately, even though Rakuten has pledged to reduce its stake in TBS to less than 10 percent from the current 19.09 percent.

The tieup talks on combining broadcasting and Internet services as well as talks on the shareholdings will continue until the end of March.

Rakuten President Hiroshi Mikitani and TBS board member Kenichiro Kidokoro will lead the talks, the sources said.

The online company proposed the management integration Oct. 13 after becoming the broadcaster's top shareholder. But the two firms agreed Nov. 30 to end their seven-week battle over the proposal, setting the stage for negotiations on business tieups.

The firms agreed on a compromise apparently out of fear a prolonged battle would only drain both of them, according to industry insiders.