Lifetime Tv For Women.com
Top Women's Media Companies — Women.com and LIFETIME Entertainment Services — in Equity and Promotion Agreements Business Editors
NEW YORK & SAN MATEO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 12, 2000
TV-Internet Alliance Unites Hearst-Backed Media Category Leaders
In a move that aligns two of the most powerful women's media companies, Women.com Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq:WOMN) and LIFETIME Entertainment Services today announced equity and promotion agreements, leveraging the enormous audience of women who access television, the Web and print for daily entertainment and information.
The agreements call for LIFETIME Entertainment Services (a joint venture of the Hearst Corporation and The Walt Disney Company) to purchase a 4.6 percent equity position in Women.com, and for Women.com to purchase $10 million in advertising on LIFETIME Television. In addition to unparalleled synergies, the alliance unites the power of three category leaders, LIFETIME Entertainment Services, Women.com and Hearst Magazines, also a major investor in Women.com, to capture more than 10 percent of the entire Web audience.
LIFETIME is the most watched cable network among women and ranks No. 2 in overall ratings among all basic cable networks(1). LIFETIME is also one of the most widely distributed cable networks, available in nearly 78 million homes. Women.com's network, among the Internet's top-50-largest sites, incorporates ten of Hearst's most popular women's magazine titles, including Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping and Redbook -- the nation's most highly circulated women's magazines, reaching 40 percent of all women.
The agreements call for LIFETIME to purchase 4.6 percent of Women.com's outstanding common stock. Women.com will purchase advertising and promotion on LIFETIME Television, valued at $10 million over three years. Additionally, LIFETIME Online (www.lifetimetv.com) will be available via the Women.com network and will be accessible throughout its network of sites. The co-marketing deal will include co-branding and links to each of the companies' sites from the home pages of Women.com (www.women.com) and LIFETIME Online (www.lifetimetv.com).
"In addition to sharing partners in Hearst, Women.com and LIFETIME share unique leadership roles as the first companies to create a dedicated place for women on the Internet and on television. By joining forces, we will accelerate
the convergence of the Internet, television and the print world by leveraging a huge combined audience of women-the largest, and fastest-growing segment online today," said Marleen McDaniel, chairman and CEO, Women.com.
McDaniel continued: "As the leading cable network for women, LIFETIME was the best partner for Women.com. We have great respect for the organization and view this agreement as a first and critical step in a strategic relationship with LIFETIME."
"We are extremely pleased to be a part of this powerful partnership that will align the leaders of the women's television and Internet industries to entertain and inform women," said Carole Black, president and CEO, LIFETIME Entertainment Services. "This also marks our first major partnership for LIFETIME Online and we look forward to the many cross promotional and content opportunities this alliance presents."
About LIFETIME Entertainment Services
LIFETIME is the No. 1 television network for women and ranks No. 2 in overall ratings among all basic cable networks. LIFETIME is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and their families. Launched in 1984, LIFETIME now serves nearly 78 million households nationwide, available on more than 11,000 cable systems and alternative delivery systems. LIFETIME launched a 24-hour sister service, The LIFETIME Movie Network, in 1998. On the web, LIFETIME Online (www.lifetimetv.com) features informational resources and interactive entertainment. All three services, LIFETIME Television, LIFETIME Movie Network and LIFETIME Online, are part of LIFETIME Entertainment Services, a 50-50 joint venture of The Hearst Corporation and The Walt Disney Company.
About Women.com
Among the top 50 Internet properties, Women.com (www.women.com) (Nasdaq:WOMN) is a leading women's Internet network offering programming, community, shopping and personalized services that are relevant, interesting and immediate to women online. Uniting the most popular brand names in the world, such as Hearst's Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Redbook, Rodale's Prevention, and Harlequin, Women.com incorporates its assets into a network 200,000 pages deep, and 18 topical channels wide. Voted "Best Fitness Hub" and "Best House & Home Hub" by Yahoo! Internet Life and named one of the "best fitness sites" by Health magazine, Women.com offers expert advice, in-depth information and unique services and tools to assist women in every area of their lives, from health to home, parenting to career. Founded in 1992, Women.com has offices in San Mateo and New York. The Hearst Corporation currently holds a 46 percent equity position in Women.com, and The Walt Disney Company owns nearly 3 percent of the company's outstanding shares. Other major shareholders include Rodale and Torstar Corporation.
This announcement contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including those relating to the company's ability to grow its user and advertiser base. Actual results may differ materially from the results predicted and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. The potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, the company's limited operating history, the competitive environment in which the company competes, the early stage of the Web as an advertising and electronic commerce medium, the company's dependence on advertising and sponsorship revenues, the company's dependence on strategic relationships to drive traffic to its Web sites, consumer acceptance of the company's new products and services, the company's ability to develop and integrate new technologies and services into its existing services, and the increased use of the Web for commerce. More information about the potential factors that could affect the company's business and financial results is included in the company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2000, all of which is on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
(1) Among households for total day (Nielsen ratings: January-August 2000)
Women.com / LIFETIME Entertainment Services
Facts
Company
Information:
Women.com LIFETIME Entertainment Services
Founded 1992 LIFETIME Television, 1984;
LIFETIMEtv.com, 1996
LIFETIME Movie Network, 1998
Description Among the top 50 Internet LIFETIME is the No. 1
properties, Women.com is television network for women
the leading women's and ranks No. 2 in overall
Internet network offering ratings among all basic cable
programming, community, networks. LIFETIME is
shopping and personalized committed to offering the
services that are highest quality entertainment
relevant, interesting and and information programming
immediate to women online. and advocating a wide range
(Nasdaq:WOMN) of issues affecting women and
their families. One of the
most widely distributed cable
networks, LIFETIME is
currently available in nearly
78 million homes.
URL www.women.com www.lifetimetv.com
Management Marleen McDaniel, chairman Carole Black, president and
and CEO (1994) CEO (1999)
Headquarters San Mateo, Calif.; offices New York, N.Y.; offices in
in New York, N.Y. and Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas
cities across the U.S. and Detroit
Brands Cosmopolitan, Country LIFETIME Television, LIFETIME
Represented Living, Good Housekeeping, Movie Network, LIFETIMEtv.com
House Beautiful, Marie
Claire, Prevention, Town &
Country, Redbook, Victoria,
eHarlequin, Astronet
Revenue Advertising, production, Advertising and affiliate fee
Model and e-commerce. supported (LIFETIMEtv.com is
ad supported only)
Site 18 channels, 11 magazine 7 content categories,
Statistics sites, 6 entertainment including:
sites -- My Health (news, fitness,
nutrition)
-- My Home (hobbies, recipes,
crafts)
-- My Family (kids, parents,
friends)
-- My Horoscope
-- My Career and Money
-- My Relationships
-- LIFETIME TV (program
schedule & information)
Investors Hearst Corp., The Walt Hearst Corp., The Walt Disney
Disney Company, Torstar Company
Publishing, Rodale and
Media One
Growth -- Membership has grown -- In an unparalleled winning
exponentially (14% streak, LIFETIME is up over
growth quarter-to- the previous year in total
quarter), exceeding day ratings for 27 out of
expectations. the last 28 months (as of
Currently, 3.5 million August 2000).
registered members. -- LIFETIME delivered the
-- Unique monthly visitors highest-rated second
have grown steadily, quarter in the network's
approx. 22% quarter-to- 16-year history.
quarter, 7.5 million in (Q2, 2000).
July.
-- Q2 quarter revenue was
12.3 million dollars,
up 104 percent from Q2
of 1999.
Web Site Metrics
Women.com LIFETIMEtv.com Combined
Monthly Unique 7.5 million (No. 32 Ranging from 7.7 million-
Visitors among all WWW Web 180,000-330,000 7.8 million
sites)
Reach 9.8% of WWW .30% 10.10%
(unduplicated;
1% overlap)
Page Views 330 million (average) 5 million 335 million
Per Month
Online 75% female 84% female N/A
Demographics
Sources: July Media Metrix Report, Nielsen Media Research and WebTrends.
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COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group
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