KNOXVILLE, TN—Scripps Networks, which operates lifestyle Web sites in addition to its TV and newspaper properties, has acquired Seattle-based Recipezaar, a user-generated recipe site.
The acquisition is part of Scripps Networks’ strategy to aggressively move its online business beyond extensions of its TV networks to become multi-branded, user-centric applications, creating communities of online consumers with shared passions.
Scripps Networks includes HGTV and Food Network, DIY Network, FINE LIVING TV Network and Great American Country on cable. Online, HGTV.com and DIYnetwork.com rank No. 1 and No. 2 respectively among content providers on the Web in the Home & Garden category, while FoodNetwork.com is the top-rated content provider on the Web in the Food & Cooking category, according to Nielsen//NetRatings.
“We’ve been the dominant interactive player in the ‘home’ and ‘food’ categories for some time now. By focusing even more on the consumer and the online user experience – much in the way Recipezaar does – we believe we can broaden our reach and deepen our relationship with the consumer in these categories as well as other aspects of lifestyle,” said John Lansing, president of Scripps Networks.
Founded in 1999 by former Microsoft employees Gay Gilmore and Troy Hakala, Recipezaar recorded 2.3 million unique visitors in June.
The site is built on an internally developed, proprietary software enabling user submission and community functionality, parsing and tagging. As a result, Recipezaar provides food enthusiasts an intuitive browsing tool, powerful search capabilities, and personalized features including “My Cookbook,” “My Grocery List,” and recipe ratings and suggestions.
Ron Feinbaum, executive vice president, new business development, said this is one of several acquisitions Scripps Networks has been exploring as part of its growth strategy.
“We are proactively seeking acquisitions and partnerships to help us reach our strategic goal of becoming the most dominant source in branded media and related consumer services in the food, shelter and lifestyle categories,” Feinbaum said. “In particular, we are focusing on areas to expand our interactive business.”
Headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, Nashville and San Francisco, Scripps Networks is owned by The E.W. Scripps Company (NYSE:SSP), a diverse media concern with interests in newspaper publishing, broadcast television, national television networks and interactive media.
Headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, Nashville and San Francisco, Scripps Networks is owned by The E.W. Scripps Company (NYSE:SSP), a diverse media concern with interests in newspaper publishing, broadcast television, national television networks and interactive media
For more see: www.scriptsnetworks.com
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