Corporate ownerships and small sites are branching off this deal in every direction. Still, to reach towards the top level of the matter, MTV Networks has acquired Babunga’s “online family network” for an undisclosed amount.
Now, for better or for worse, parenting advice isn’t going to get interspersed with episodes from “The Real World 413” or whatever else MTV is showing these days. Instead, MTV Networks’s ownership of Nickelodeon will come into play, and its ParentsConnect community site is set to gain the most.
Babunga’s network, which includes BabyNamesWorld, WikiParenting, and 3dpregnancy, will be integrated into ParentsConnect. “We are already a leader online with parents and families because of Nickjr.com, the number-one preschool-parenting website,” pointed out Steve Youngwood, the executive vice president of Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids & Family Group. “[W]ith the acquisition of Babunga’s family of sites and its integration into Nick’s ParentsConnect, we are also now leaders with expecting parents.”
Mike Shields highlights one more relevant point. “As part of the venture, the company will sell ads on a handful of smaller, non-Nick-owned sites, including ParentPreviews.com and Smartmomma.com, mirroring a recent trend wherein traditional media players aim to sell ads across the Web’s long tail.”
Nickelodeon, MTV Networks, Viacom – trace the corporate path as far back as you like. Wherever you wind up, though, it looks like the company is doing some long-term planning.
