Disney Expands Online Portfolio

NORTH HOLLYWOOD/EVANSTON, December 4: The Walt Disney
Internet Group has boosted its portfolio of family-targeted web properties with
the acquisition of iParenting Media, operator of an online network of more than
40 sites geared towards parents.

Disney Online’s family-targeted web properties already
include DisneyFamily.com, FamilyFun.com and Wondertime.com, with iParenting’s
content and services to be integrated into this network. Terms of the
transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 1996 by Alvin All and Elisa Ast All during their
first pregnancy, iParenting Media grew from a single pregnancy site, www.PregancyToday.com, to a network of more than 40
sites, in English and Spanish, from preconception through raising teenagers and
beyond. iParenting’s portfolio features a wide array of professional and
user-generated content, including articles, expert Q&A’s and message
boards. Additionally, the network includes the iParenting Media Awards, which
recognize the best products in the children’s media and juvenile product industries.
Disney will continue the awards program as an impartial resource for parents
and consumers. Disney Online also plans to integrate all members of the
Evanston-based iParenting team.

“iParenting has built a strong, trusted reputation among
parents, and we feel the site is a perfect complement to our overall portfolio
of family-targeted, online brands,” said Paul Yanover, the managing director of
Disney Online. “This acquisition builds on the successful launch of
DisneyFamily.com earlier this year, and the ongoing success of FamilyFun.com
and Wondertime.com, by broadening our content for parents to include
information about pre-natal and new baby care. We’re excited to welcome such a
talented group to Disney Online.”

—By Irene Lew