Meredith Interactive has been able to grow and flourish in a difficult economic environment, while many others in the interactive space have withered. In December 2002, as part of the company’s "Early Family Formation" strategy, Meredith acquired the American Baby Group from Primedia and has already begun to integrate americanbaby.com into its other online properties. The strategy, which is designed to enable Meredith to extend its brands to the rapidly growing young family market, builds on Meredith’s existing leadership in the home and family marketplace, and will give the organization fuel for the next wave of growth.

"We now have the capability to reach women of all ages - from pre-conception through empty nesting - and we can address the issues that matter to them most. Our interactive properties make a clear contribution to this - by attracting a new, younger audience segment and by allowing us to convert that audience into magazine subscribers," said Steve Lacy, President of the Publishing Group at Meredith.

Meredith Interactive’s unparalleled content has become increasingly relevant as social, economic and political developments have fostered a revitalized focus on home and family. The online publisher’s goal - to help its audience turn inspiration to action - resonates particularly well as a greater number of consumers seek household comfort, ways to express individuality and money saving tips and projects. Additionally, Meredith’s stable of trusted brands appeal to cautious consumers and the popularity of women’s Web sites continues to grow steadily, with the latest stats from comScore charting visitors to such sites at 34.8 million in December alone.