Food Net's New Web Site Enhances Cable Portfolio

Food Network operator Scripps has acquired a Web site with user-generated content and communities built around some 230,000 recipes. The Recipezaar purchase is another step in Scripps' efforts to bolster its online offerings that dovetail with its growing cable portfolio, but also have distinctive brands.

"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, which also offers HGTV.

Recipezaar was founded in 1999 by two ex-Microsoft executives and boasted 2.3 million unique visitors last month, Scripps said. The site offers "personalized features, including "My Cookbook," "My Grocery List" and recipe ratings and suggestions.

Overall, Scripps Networks' online properties count an average of 13.6 million unique visitors per month, the company said. Recipezaar will be a distinct operating unit within Scripps out of Seattle, but will capitalize on synergies with Food Network.com.

Scripps says overall it doubled its ad sales revenue for interactive operations in 2005, and then again in 2006. It says it's "on pace for another year of significant growth in 2007."

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