• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, December 1, 2004

About.com and interactive health care information network Choice Media announced an exclusive advertising agreement yesterday. Effective Jan. 1, Choice Media will serve as the exclusive representative for all health-related display advertising on About.com's health section, which will include banner ads, multimedia offerings, and newsletters. Company spokespersons described the agreement as "multi-year," but declined to specify its exact length.

The deal also provides that Choice Media is the exclusive provider of video content and has the right to sell all inventory related to "Medical Breakthroughs from HealthCentral," a consumer television newsmagazine carried on 60 U.S. network stations.

Current advertisers on About.com's health section include online DVD rental company Netflix and gift-basket company Harry and David, but Ash Nashed, a medical doctor and co-founder and CEO of Choice Media, expects to lure more health-related advertisers--such as Pfizer, Merck, and Bristol-Myers Squibb--to About.com. "Advertisers want to be where the largest qualified reach is," explained Nashed.

Choice Media owns a number of medical and health-related Web sites, including drkoop.com, HealthCentral.com, Healthscout.com, MDChoice.com, Healthsquare.com, and HeartInfo.org. About.com is part of media company Primedia, Inc.