[June 22] Women.com announced
Thursday that it has become the first U.S. women’s Internet company
to form a major alliance overseas, forming a joint venture with
Hearst subsidiary National
Magazine Company (NatMags) in the U.K.
NatMags publishes such print magazines as Cosmopolitan, Good
Housekeeping, Country Living, Company, She, Having a Baby, and
Harpers & Queen. It will provide localized women’s-interest
content for the new U.K. site,
due to launch later this year.
David Brandin, senior vice president, international, Women.com,
observed that women around the world demand different experiences
from the Web — and for that reason Women.com needs content
localized to capture cultural nuances.
Deputy Managing Director of National Magazines, Duncan Edwards said
the venture, which combines some top magazine brands for women
and Women.com’s expertise in building popular Internet sites, would
give NatMags “important definition in a rapidly expanding market.”
“It won’t be long before uk.women.com becomes an essential site for
the growing number of women using the Web for information and
entertainment,” said Edwards.
There are around six million women online in the U.K., according
to UK Internet User Monitor. They represent 40 per cent of the
15 million U.K. Internet users.
Under the terms of this week’s deal, Women.com will hold a
minority share in uk.women.com, taking two of the five seats
on the board. The new site will have access to Women.com’s
proprietary original content, tools and community.
Currently, the Women.com network is 160,000 pages deep and
18 topical channels wide. It ranks among the 50 most popular
sites on the Internet.