NBC to buy Net firm with focus on women

Iria · Mar 8, 2006, 01:27 AM

IVillage, an Internet company devoted to women, has agreed to be acquired by NBC Universal for $600 million.
The sale of iVillage, one of the last major publicly traded Internet companies based in New York, comes at a time major media companies, recovering from their misadventures online in the Internet bubble of the late 1990s, have been acquiring online companies.

Last year, News Corp. bought MySpace, a teenage social site, and IGN, an online game site. Dow Jones bought MarketWatch, a financial news site, in late 2004. And in February 2005, The New York Times Co., which owns the International Herald Tribune, bought About.com, a collection of sites on specialized topics.

After those transactions, iVillage hired investment bankers and put itself up for sale. After several rounds of bidding, the sale price announced Monday, which comes to $8.50 a share, fell short of the expectations of some analysts. Still, iVillage shares rose 38 cents, or 4.8 percent, to close at $8.36.

Robert Wright, the NBC Universal chief executive, said iVillage offered a way for the company to expand its exposure to the rapidly growing Internet advertising market and to connect to the coverage of women's issues and health issues that NBC already creates.
"All those areas are subjects of programs and discussions we cover on NBC," he said.
__________
Read More / Source: International Herald Tribune

Mar 8, 2006, 01:27 AM	#1
Iria DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 7,275 Rep Power: 74	NBC to buy Net firm with focus on women IVillage, an Internet company devoted to women, has agreed to be acquired by NBC Universal for $600 million. The sale of iVillage, one of the last major publicly traded Internet companies based in New York, comes at a time major media companies, recovering from their misadventures online in the Internet bubble of the late 1990s, have been acquiring online companies. Last year, News Corp. bought MySpace, a teenage social site, and IGN, an online game site. Dow Jones bought MarketWatch, a financial news site, in late 2004. And in February 2005, The New York Times Co., which owns the International Herald Tribune, bought About.com, a collection of sites on specialized topics. After those transactions, iVillage hired investment bankers and put itself up for sale. After several rounds of bidding, the sale price announced Monday, which comes to $8.50 a share, fell short of the expectations of some analysts. Still, iVillage shares rose 38 cents, or 4.8 percent, to close at $8.36. Robert Wright, the NBC Universal chief executive, said iVillage offered a way for the company to expand its exposure to the rapidly growing Internet advertising market and to connect to the coverage of women's issues and health issues that NBC already creates. "All those areas are subjects of programs and discussions we cover on NBC," he said. __________ Read More / Source: International Herald Tribune