• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, July 9, 2008

Hearst Magazines and MSN have partnered to develop and launch a new food-related Web destination named Delish.com, the companies said on Tuesday.

The new site, which is expected to launch in fall, will exist as its own brand, yet will be owned, built and edited by Hearst Magazines Digital Media and distributed by MSN.

More than a recipe index, Delish will offer articles, photo galleries, video and interactive tools. The site will also combine recipes and how-to's with content that focuses on entertainment and pop culture as it relates to food.

"Our content, coupled with the enormous reach of MSN's audience, is a very powerful combination," said John Loughlin, EVP and general manager of Hearst Magazines. "Our Digital Media unit has been working with MSN for several years." Also available at Delish.MSN.com, the companies are predicting that Delish's traffic numbers will immediately place the site into the top 10 food-related destinations online.

According to Jeff Dossett, executive producer and general manager of MSN, there are presently 60 million unique visitors to food-related Web sites.

Per the deal Hearst Magazines Digital Media will be in charge of the design, development and editorial vision of the site, while MSN will be responsible for ad sales and primary distribution of the site's content through the MSN network.

The ad inventory for Delish.com, which will be sold by the MSN sales team, will also sell targeted inventory in the food category on Countryliving.com, Goodhousekeeping.com, Quickandsimple.com and Redbookmag.com.