The HealthCentral Network Acquires TheBody.com, The Number One Interactive Resource For HIV Communities

Main Category: HIV / AIDS
Also Included In: IT / Internet / E-mail
Article Date: 05 Sep 2008 - 4:00 PST

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The HealthCentral Network, Inc. announced the acquisition of HIV/AIDS patient resource TheBody.com and HIV/AIDS health professional resource TheBodyPro.com. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

With the acquisition, HealthCentral extends its position of becoming the leading online enterprise of condition-specific health and wellness information. TheBody.com and TheBodyPro.com offer unique experiences for patients and health professionals, including community support, connections with renowned HIV/AIDS doctors and crucial clinical and life management information. The acquisition adds approximately 700,000 highly targeted monthly unique visitors to The HealthCentral Network's nearly 11 million monthly unique visitors.

The combination will benefit visitors to TheBody.com through enhanced condition management and community resources, and the opportunity to increase content relating to prevention and treatment of sexually-transmitted diseases. Visitors to TheBody.com will have more opportunities to interact with physician and community experts on key issues.

For marketers wishing to reach consumer and professional audiences, TheBody.com and TheBodyPro.com will remain the premiere sites to reach audiences seeking information about HIV prevention, treatment, and management strategies. HealthCentral and TheBody.com will continue to provide highly-focused, sponsored content opportunities, in addition to opportunities for consumers to elect to receive information about HIV and HIV treatments.

"TheBody.com's quality audience, excellent information and thriving community fit the model of HealthCentral's condition- and wellness-specific sites," said Christopher M. Schroeder, President and CEO of The HealthCentral Network. "We are proud to offer health seekers the best experiences for their needs on their terms. And we continue to build the highest quality health and wellness ad network, bringing together motivated health consumers and highly relevant information and offers from marketers."

Employees of the New York City-based Body Health Resources Corporation, which owned TheBody.com and TheBodyPro.com, will join The HealthCentral Network team.

"Joining with HealthCentral allows us to build on the foundation of excellent information and community for the HIV/AIDS community that we began over 10 years ago," said TheBody.com Founder and CEO, James D. Marks. "The HealthCentral Network is the first partner that I felt would bring the same commitment to quality that we have. HealthCentral understands the need to provide credible, quality information to patients and caregivers on topics like HIV/AIDS that are intimate, complex, and life-changing."

TheBody.com is HealthCentral's second acquisition in less than three months. In June, the company acquired consumer health information company MedTrackAlert, LLC, more than doubling the size of its email newsletter reach. With leading investors (Polaris Venture Partners, The Carlyle Group, Sequoia Capital, and Allen & Company, and most recently IAC), The HealthCentral Network continues to acquire and build new capabilities and products that deliver high-quality information to health and wellness audiences, and high-quality relevant opportunities for marketers.

About The HealthCentral Network

The HealthCentral Network, Inc. is the leading collection of online consumer health assets, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. By offering connections to renowned experts, a network of patients and caregivers who share "real world" experience, and in-depth information, sites in The HealthCentral Network make a meaningful difference in the lives of patients and caregivers. The HealthCentral Network also manages the highest-quality health advertising network, not building size for size's sake - but targeting condition-specific audiences who value and engage with information from marketers on their terms.

The HealthCentral Network was acquired in 2005 by Polaris Venture Partners, The Carlyle Group, Sequoia Capital, and Allen & Company. In January 2008, the Company received a significant minority investment from IAC/InteractiveCorp and additional investment from its original investors, and IAC CEO Barry Diller joined The HealthCentral Network's board of directors. In April 2008, HealthCentral and IAC Ad Solutions Network announced a new ad network relationship, expanding the collective reach to nearly 50 million monthly unique users.

HealthCentral's management team combines decades of interactive media, medical and journalism experience: CEO and President Christopher Schroeder was CEO and Publisher of Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive, the interactive subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO.)

The HealthCentral Network