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NBC Universal has confirmed that it will buy Oxygen in a deal valued at $925 million, writes Broadcasting & Cable. The network will be folded into NBC U’s Entertainment Cable division, which includes USA Network, Bravo, Sci-Fi and MSNBC.
Gerry Laybourne, who started the channel in 2000, is expected to remain with the network through the end of the year, but not beyond that. Bravo chief Lauren Zalaznick is a possible candidate for the job.
NBC U’s existing cable networks are currently driving significant growth for the company. Meanwhile, iVillage, which NBC U bought for $600 million in March, has been struggling to gain traction.
NBC U chief Jeff Zucker said the addition of Oxygen is an outgrowth of his corporate strategy to expand in high-growth areas of media while limiting exposure to mature businesses like broadcast TV, writes Variety.
NBC U plans to sell two Telemundo-owned stations to help finance the deal.
XM Satellite Radio will air extensive coverage of the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500 in the days heading up to the May 25 race.
The Indianapolis 500 can be heard on the IndyCar Series Racing channel (XM channel 145)…
Ogden’s Herbs for Health magazine is being folded into big-sister publication the Herb Companion.
A reader survey revealed that the two publications had virtually identical purchasing habits, interests and demographics, said publisher and editorial director Bryan Welch (via Folio). The Herb…
Barnes & Noble is launching a guerilla marketing campaign as part of a larger effort to promote its how-to website, Quamut.com.
The site - which touts itself as the “go to how to” - offers professionally written info that answers how-to…
Fox will air fewer commercials than usual during two of its fall programs, dramas Fringe and Dollhouse. Each episode will run as many as 50 minutes of story, compared to standard dramas which average about 42 to 44 minutes.
The…
Targeting advertising toward African Americans, Hispanics, Asians and Whites requires distinct media plans, because these groups use traditional media differently - and their new-media adoption patterns also vary, according to an analysis by BIGresearch, writes MarketingCharts.
“Understanding how media consumption behaviors…
For the sixth consecutive year, the number of millionaire households ($1MM+ net worth, not including primary residence) in the U.S. increased significantly, reaching some 9.9 million, according to TNS’s annual Affluent Market Research Program (AMRP), writes MarketingCharts.
The number of millionaire households…
