NBC is to take an equity stake in iVillage.com, a women’s online network. iVillage gets on-air promotion on NBC and online distribution on NBC.com and Snap.com. In return, NBC gets a seat on iVillage’s board. Finally, iVillage and Snap have agreed to launch three new parenting, family and health centers on the Snap.com portal. The whole deal is a bid to capture the elusive female audience, which in marketing-speak means the demographic that signs off on sports utility vehicles, health plans and diapers. NBC executive vice-president Tom Rogers points out that while the internet began as a male-skewed medium, women now represent the fastest growing group.
