• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, July 8, 2009

Ziff Davis Enterprise has formed a partnership with IDG TechNetwork, bringing together ZD's Developer Shed Network of Web sites and online resources with IDG's TechNetwork, an ad and media network of more than 200 online publishers.

According to the companies, the combination will create one of the largest professional IT ad networks on the Internet.

"For marketers trying to reach the developer community, this partnership offers an efficient and reliable way to reach a larger audience, realize better target market penetration, increase their message relevancy and maximize their online performance," said Steve Weitzner, CEO of Ziff Davis Enterprise.

ZDE's Developer Shed Network, which targets developers, includes 16 Web sites with a global reach of 8 million unique visitors per month. IDG's TechNetwork has built a total audience of about 40 million unique visitors per month since its March 2008 launch.

Both networks have touted their value to advertisers, bringing together Web sites that are often among the last stops for IT professionals making tech purchasing decisions.

Combining their ad networks is just the first of a series of collaborations planned by the companies. Weitzner hinted that the two networks may begin sharing editorial content, too.