iVillage, Inc. is a media company that is owned by NBCUniversal. The site focuses on categories targeted at women, including Food, Health, Entertainment, Family, Beauty & Style. Additional businesses and brand extensions within iVillage Networks include iVillage UK, NBC Digital Health Network, Astrology.com and GardenWeb. In addition, iVillage has a strategic partnership with BlogHer, a participatory news, entertainment and information network for women online. iVillage has approximately 34 million unique visitors per month (comScore, April 2010), making it the largest content-driven community for women on the web.
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The company was established in New York City in 1995 by Candice Carpenter, an early veteran of America Online, along with co-founders Nancy Evans and Robert Levitan.[1] In 2008, it moved its headquarters to Englewood Cliffs, NJ and in 2009, headquarters were moved back to New York City.
The company's first content site was "Parent Soup", a community channel on America Online. That site featured one of the earliest ecommerce shopping cart and product promotion systems, featuring products made by manufacturers who would enter strategic relationships with the company that site visitors could then buy at a "company store."[1] The company soon opened up other communities such as "AboutWork", "Better Health & Medical", and "Life Soup". By the end of 1998 there were fourteen communities, one million registered users, and three million visitors per month.[1]
In 1999 the company underwent one of the most successful initial public offerings in history, despite never having earned a profit. The initial offering price on NASDAQ was $23, nearly double the expected $13 pricing. Stock price climbed to nearly $100 in the first day of trading and reached over $130 per share within days, but soon began to decline. Most of the original management and staff left the company. Within two years, following the dot com crash, the stock price fell under $1 per share, the company was threatened with delisting, controversies had arisen over financing irregularities and company management, and the company had never had a profitable quarter and was near bankruptcy.[1][2][3] In 2001, under new management, the company merged with its main competitor, women.com.
In May, 2006 NBC Universal, Inc. acquired iVillage. Currently, Jodi Kahn is the Executive Vice President of iVillage Networks and Angela Matusik is Chief Content Executive.
iVillage Live was a TV show and webcast produced by NBC Universal. NBC commissioned a set at the Universal Orlando Resort in Florida.[4] In September 2007, production was moved to Chicago Illinois, and the show was retitled In the Loop with iVillage. The five original hosts were replaced by comedian Kim Coles; The Apprentice (US Season 1) winner Bill Rancic and The Apprentice (US Season 1) contestant Ereka Vetrini. After one final season, the show was officially canceled.
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