News Releases
NEW YORK, NY (May 14, 2009)—Meredith Corporation (NYSE: MDP) announced today that DivineCaroline®—the flagship site of Real Girls Media Network and an integral part of the Meredith Women’s Network—has cracked Quantcast’s Top 200 sites in the world. With 5.3 million users, DivineCaroline has now eclipsed longtime online traffic leaders such as iVillage.
DivineCaroline offers a unique platform that publishes user-generated content alongside expert-guided editorial to offer consumers a fully engaged community in which to share experiences and form connections. It targets women in the highly desirable 25-54 age group and has experienced strong and steady growth since its launch in 2007.
“The growth of DivineCaroline is a testament to the vibrant community of women online,” says Kate Thorp, CEO, Real Girls Media Network. “Sharing, helping, and participating in the world around them are an important part of our lives.”
Thorp notes that women now represent 53 percent of the total U.S. online audience, and “women's community” was the most visited and fastest growing internet category, according to ComScore Media Metrix’s year-end report.
The Meredith Women’s Network, which attracts 15 million unique visitors monthly,* is the first network comprised of premium, branded websites geared toward the topics that matter most to women. It includes The Better Homes and Gardens® Network (Better Homes and Gardens, Better Recipes and the recently launched MixingBowl™); The Parents® Network (Parents, American Baby and Family Circle); and The Real Girls NetworkSM (DivineCaroline®, Fitness, More and Ladies’ Home Journal).
“The success of DivineCaroline reflects the power of this exciting new brand and its connection to female consumers,” says Meredith Chief Development Officer John Zieser. “Real Girls Media is proving to be a perfect complement to the Meredith Women's Network, and we will continue to seek out partners where we can replicate this ‘one plus one equals three’ relationship.”
About Meredith Corporation
Meredith Corporation (www.meredith.com) combines well-known national brands – including Better Homes and Gardens, Parents, Ladies’ Home Journal, Family Circle, American Baby, Fitness and More – with local television brands in fast growing markets. Meredith is the industry leader in creating content in key consumer interest areas such as home, family, health and wellness and self-development. Meredith then uses multiple distribution platforms – including print, television, online, mobile and video – to give consumers content they desire and to deliver the messages of its marketing partners.
About Real Girls Media Network, Inc.
The Real Girls Media Network includes DivineCaroline.com—its owned and operated marquee site—as well as a premium network of branded sites for women, is a San Francisco-based, privately held company backed by Meredith Corporation, 3i Group and Walden Venture Capital. DivineCaroline™ is a trademark of Real Girls Media Network, Inc. More information is available at www.realgirlsmedia.com
*Omniture, November 2008 traffic.