BlogHer, an online network of female bloggers, has announced a partnership with iVillage and Women@NBCU, a new content and marketing intiative by NBC Universal.
The partnership includes a $5 million Series B round led by Peacock Equity (a fund run by NBC Universal and GE) along with previous investor Venrock Capital. iVillage, Oxygen.com, and BravoTV.com will also obtain access to BlogHer’s network of 2,200 women’s blogs for syndication purposes.
iVillage is an online network geared toward women that was bought by NBC Universal for $600 million in March 2006. It’s also the leading women’s content network with over 16 million unique visitors monthly and 4 billion page views per year.
BlogHer co-founders Elisa Camahort Page, Lisa Stone, and Jory Des Jardins claim that this partnership will bring a much higher level of exposure to its network of bloggers. BlogHer was founded in February 2005 as a way to popularize and monetize blogs written by women and meant for women. The network includes a community portal, an index of blogs, and a series of conferences.
The partnership was announced today by Lauren Zalaznick, President of Women and Lifestyle Entertainment networks for NBC Universal. Zalaznick also announced her plans to form a female-targeted digital ad network as part of the Women@NBCU initiative. The network will include BravoTV.com, Oxygen.com, iVillage, and Sugar Inc., making it the largest agglomeration of women’s media brands online.
BlogHer had previously raised $3.5 million from Venrock Capital in June 2007.