NEW YORK – The battle for the hearts and dollars of America’s health-conscious Web surfers is heating up.
Revolution Health, the Washington, D.C.-based online health information company founded last year by AOL co-founder Steve Case, has merged with Waterfront Media. The Brooklyn, N.Y company, founded in 2002, is billed as one of the largest online health companies in the world, with a network of more than 20 sites.
The deal, reported by The New York Times to be worth $300 million, brings together the second- and third-largest purveyors on online health information in a bid to compete with the acknowledged front-runner, WebMD.
According to a recent study by comScore, Inc., a Reston, Va.-based analyst of digital communications, the online health information site category has grown 21 percent during the past year, more than four times the growth rate for the total U.S. Internet population.
The merger brings RevolutionHealth.com into Waterfront Media’s Everyday Health Network, a network that is projected to have more than 20 million unique users and serve as the market leader in audience reach for at least 23 health conditions. The combined company will have 24 online health properties.
“The inclusion of Revolution Health and its properties in the Everyday Health Network creates the most powerful, expansive online health experience for consumers,” said Benjamin Wolin, who co-founded Waterfront Media with Mike Keriakos and now serves as its CEO. “Both companies share a common heritage of providing consumers with access to online information, tools and support for healthier living. We look forward to adding Revolution Health’s world class features and sites to the Everyday Health Network.”
Added Case: “When we entered the healthcare market we knew one of the areas we wanted to focus on was using the Internet to empower consumers and give them more choice, control and convenience. The merge of Waterfront Media and Revolution Health Network builds on each company’s complementary strengths to create a new industry powerhouse – thus enabling us to accelerate our efforts to reach the largest, most engaged audience and help people stay healthy, mange chronic disease and deal with serious illness.”
WebMD recently announced the acquisition of QualityHealth.com for $50 million and an additional $25 million based on performance metrics.
“The unique strength of the WebMD brand continues to gain momentum, as we continue to demonstrate the unique quality and impact of our differentiated audience to large advertisers,” said Wayne Gatinella, the company’s president and CEO.
According to comScore, WebMD Health continues to lead the market with 17.3 million visitors in July, up 3 percent from last July’s figures. The three other top health networks are Everyday Health, with 14.7 million visitors (up 63 percent); Revolution Health Network, with 11.3 million visitors (up 182 percent); and AOL Health, with 11.1 million visitors (up 88 percent).