Chicago-based social commerce company Groupon said Thursday that it is extending its daily deal model to The McClatchy Co., the country’s third-largest newspaper publisher.

Under the agreement between, Groupon will provide exclusive content to McClatchy’s Web sites, including deals not available on Groupon.com.

These special deals will launch first in Sacramento, Calif., where McClatchy is based, as well as Kansas City, Mo.  McClatchy’s properties include 30 daily newspapers such as the Sacramento Bee, Miami Herald and Kansas City Star.

Groupon said “the agreement is part of a larger initiative to offer a new, incremental revenue stream to major publishers.”

Groupon’s service, which has inspired dozens of  daily deal sites, offers steep discounts on local businesses that are activated when a certain number of people sign up for the offer. Groupon launched in late 2008 and offers deals in about 150 cities.

McClatchy and the Tribune Co. partner on content, but Tribune Co. is not part of the Groupon agreement.