Joseph Weisenthal
paidContent.org
Wednesday, July 16, 2008 1:07 PM

BlogHer, the womens ad network, blogging community site and conference organizer, has raised a $5 million second round lead by the Peacock Equity Fund (GE and NBCU), along with past backer Venrock. The company raised an initial round of funding from Venrock last summer. Along with the deal, the company has entered into a strategic partnership with NBCU-owned iVillage, which will give the site access to BlogHer content, as well as promotional opportunities across the BlogHer network. In addition to iVillage, Oxygen.com and BravoTV.com will be able to draw on select content form the network. Release

-- Building up Women@NBCU: The arrangement is part of the company's attempt to build up its female-focused content and ad net Women@NBCU, which was finally released in May after a long preparation. Women@NBCU houses online content and handles ad sales across BravoTV.com, Oxygen.com, iVillage and Sugar Inc. The network's first sponsor is Wal-mart.

In the months preceding Women@NBCU's launch, a number of high profile sites aimed at women began to emerge, most notably Yahoo Shine. The linkage between iVillage and BlogHer is also designed to boost iVillage, which has experienced a number of upheavals over the past several months, including NBCU canceling the iVillage Live TV show after poor ratings performance, and overhauls to the site.

Related

Interview: NBCU?s Zalaznick: Adding iVillage To Bravo, Oxygen ?Converse Of Synergy?

NBC Pulls The Curtain Up On Virtual Women?s Network; Plans Hyper-local Content Center In NYC

BlogHer Gets Funding From Venrock: Report

BlogHer Launching Ad Network For Blogs By Women; First Category, Parenting