ONHN Release:
Monday July 20, 7:02 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
OnHealth.com Inks Key Distribution Agreements With Infoseek, MindSpring, Planet Direct and Comcast Online Communications
As Relaunched Site is Poised to Become the Premier Web Source for Consumer Health and Wellness Information; New Means of Distribution Extend and Enrich the Reach of OnHealth.com
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 20, 1998-- OnHealth Network Company (NASDAQ: ONHN - news) today announced that four of technology's most successfully innovative companies -- Infoseek, MindSpring, Planet Direct and Comcast Online Communications -- have entered into agreements with OnHealth.com to feature its content prominently within their own services.
With these new avenues of distribution, OnHealth.com, relaunched today, expands its reach to include millions of additional consumers seeking access to the Web's single best online resource for the active and successful management of their health and well-being.
''Today's announcement clearly demonstrates the strong support OnHealth.com is getting for our newly redesigned site from these powerful partners in the technology revolution,'' said Robert Goodman, president and CEO, OnHealth Network Company. ''We believe we are at the forefront of a growing consumer movement towards deeper, richer, more reliable and more accessible health and wellness information on the Web, and these strategic alliances with more to come -- show us that belief is shared by others.''
''It's gratifying to us that these partners recognize the value of OnHealth's content for consumers,'' said Rebecca Farwell, editor-in-chief, OnHealth.com. ''Our aim is to arm people with the information and tools they need to make better decisions about their health, and these alliances go a long way toward getting that information out to the people who need it.''
For Infoseek, MindSpring, Planet Direct and Comcast Online Communications, OnHealth.com will provide tailored content including the OnHealth Personal Health Tracker, Daily News Briefs, health tips, consumer-based polls, In-Depth Reports, columns, resource area links and City Health Guides.
With 14 million unique visitors per month, Infoseek is one of the largest sites on the Web. As one of only four Infoseek Health Channel Premier Partners, OnHealth.com will have a major branded presence by mid-August -- an above the fold four-color logo button -- on the Infoseek Health Channel Home page, and will be featured prominently on the health-related sub-channels throughout the site: ''Health News & Information,'' ''Eating Right & Looking Good,'' ''Fitness'' and ''Wellness.''
On the Infoseek Health Channel Homepage, the OnHealth.com four-color logo will take users directly to the OnHealth.com homepage. For the ''Health News & Information'' sub-channel, for which OnHealth.com is the Premiere Branded Content Provider, OnHealth.com will have multiple content boxes, linking to OnHealth.com's Conditions A-Z Databases and City Health Guides. On the ''Wellness'' sub-channel page, OnHealth is featured as a Co-Premiere Content Partner, providing a branded content box that allows users to register for the exclusive OnHealth Personal Health Tracker. It is also a clearly branded area where Infoseek users will find alternative health and wellness information from OnHealth. On the ''Eating Right & Looking Good'' sub-channel, OnHealth.com is featured as a Distinguished Content Partner, with a branded, content box providing daily health tips to Infoseek users and linking directly back to OnHealth.com. On the ''Fitness'' sub-channel page, OnHealth will be featured as a Distinguished Content Partner with a branded content box that features OnHealth.com's exclusive columnists, and links users directly to OnHealth.com. On Directory Branch Pages, OnHealth will have a Premiere Partner branded button above the fold, linking to the OnHealth-sponsored ''Health News & Information'' sub-channel. In addition there will be a direct link to OnHealth.com. On the Mapped Search Results Pages, a branded presence leads users to the OnHealth.com ''Health News & Information'' sub-channel. In addition there will be a direct link to OnHealth.com.
As the Premiere Health Content Partner for MindSpring, a leading ISP, OnHealth's four-color logo will be prominently featured with direct links to the OnHealth site. OnHealth will supply health and wellness information including Daily Briefings, In-Depth Reports, Columns and City Health Guides within the Health and City Pages areas. In addition, MindSpring users will have access to the Condition Centers and the deep OnHealth databases, Conditions A-Z, and Pharmacy.
As a featured Health Content Partner for Planet Direct, a comprehensive, personalized Web service, OnHealth's logo will be prominently displayed in the Health channel with headlines and abstracts. In addition, OnHealth will provide Planet Direct with a health news feed for the Info Center. OnHealth will also provide local health information to Planet Direct users through its City Health Guides and provide users with access to OnHealth's Conditions A-Z and Pharmacy resources.
As the Primary Health Content Provider for Comcast Online Communications, OnHealth's four-color logo will be prominently featured with direct links to the OnHealth site. OnHealth.com content, including Daily Briefings, Daily Health Tips, In-Depth Reports, Columns, City Health Guides and OnHealth Live, will be prominently featured in the Health Channel that serves 22 markets of the InYourTown.com sites and also for the comcast@home service. Comcast's popular InYourTown.com sites can take users directly to OnHealth's localized City Health Guides.
''Our partnership with Comcast@Home is particularly exciting to us because this enables OnHealth, as the owner of extensive video assets, to further extend its distribution stream,'' added Robert Goodman of OnHealth Network Company.
''The quality of OnHealth.com's information and services is something we're pleased to be able to direct our millions of users to,'' said Lynn Forbes, Infoseek's executive producer. ''The availability of health and fitness resources on the Internet is important to making people's lives easier and this agreement helps Infoseek do that.''
''MindSpring is pleased to offer OnHealth.com's content to our members,'' said Erika Jolly, MindSpring's vice president of product development. ''The rich variety of information available from OnHealth.com is a great fit with our goal to locate the best material possible for our subscribers.''
''We're very pleased to bring OnHealth's high caliber health information to our users,'' said Planet Direct president and CEO Hans G. Hawrysz. ''Our mission is to make people's lives more successful by allowing them to use the Internet in a way that's relevant to their daily lives and specific to the cities in which they live and work. We believe that OnHealth's personalized and localized services are another vital link in fulfilling this mission.''
''Comcast Online Communications looks forward to adding increased value to our service by providing a wide array of content for our @Home customers, as well as all Internet users,'' said Gaurav Suri, Director, Content, Comcast Online Communications. ''Delivering balanced, unique and useful content continues to be a driving force behind our InYourTown city guides and adding OnHealth.com's insightful coverage of health issues and news will be a welcome new resource,'' added Suri.
According to a recent (July 9,1998) article in The New York Times, more people than ever are turning to the Internet for health and wellness information and advice. A study, says the Times, conducted jointly by the Institute for the Future in Menlo Park, California and Princeton Survey Research Associates, shows that nearly two-thirds of those who use the Web [some 45 million people] are seeking medical information and/or referrals. In addition, sixty-seven percent of doctors said their patients came to them with information they had found on the Internet.
''Extensive research and analysis have shown us that there is great demand for health and wellness information on the Web, yet there is no one content provider that is giving consumers all they want and need,'' said Goodman. ''By creating a place where health headlines are put in context, where important health issues are thoroughly examined, where interactive tools make the information personally relevant and where people can connect with experts and other consumers who share their concerns and interests, we believe OnHealth.com will set the standard for the health category on the Internet.''
Just a few of the ways in which OnHealth.com offers its content partners features not found on any other online health and wellness sites:
-- Daily Briefings to keep on top of what's happening in the news:
Original summaries of the most important health-related news stories, including links to deeper material. Daily health tips covering everything from diet and nutrition to stress reduction and relaxation techniques. Medical Minute featuring veteran medical reporter John Schieszer, who provides a daily news feature via streaming audio. In-Depth Reports: Each week, OnHealth.com will publish three to five new articles that cover a topic in-depth. From nutrition to stress, the physical life to the emotional, managed care to breast cancer, to new treatments for high blood pressure, OnHealth.com's In-Depth Reports go beyond the hype to provide sophisticated, provocative coverage of what it really means to take good care of oneself over the course of a lifetime. Solid journalists and health experts provide reliable, balanced, sensible and thoughtful coverage. The OnHealth Personal Health Tracker: A free, personal, private service to track, retrieve and save important health information for OnHealth.com users on a daily basis. The exclusive Personal Health Tracker searches a hand-selected universe of the Internet's best health and medical resources and sends the user an e-mail when new information is found. City Health Guides: Exclusive to OnHealth are these localized information guides for major U.S. cities, providing timely, practical information and resource listings for OnHealth.com's users. Services include local health news, calendars of health-related events, local pollen, UV and pollution counts, illness-specific community resources and services and discussion groups where users can post their own comments, questions or contributions to the community calendar. Core-Beat Columnists: The site's exclusive columnists cover the core beats that OnHealth.com's users have said are most important to them. Columns like ''On Men,'' ''Sex Matters,'' ''Healthy Living,'' ''Managing Your Care'' and ''A Woman's Body'' are written by writer/experts to whom users always have direct access for comments, questions and suggestions. Condition Centers: Partnering with some of medicine's top research and clinical institutions, OnHealth.com's condition-specific Centers give consumers hands-on patient guides, expert answers, community support and the latest medical updates to help them most successfully manage chronic conditions. Institutions such as the International Diabetes Center and the Mt. Sinai Cardiovascular Institute will support those who are managing such difficult conditions as diabetes and cardiovascular health problems. Additional Condition Centers for arthritis, breast cancer, asthma, infertility, depression and neurological disorders will be developed in 1998. OnHealth Live Hosted by Brooke Gladstone: Journalist Brooke Gladstone of National Public Radio hosts OnHealth.com's weekly live audio interview show featuring leading health and wellness experts. Users can ask questions and share experiences with other listeners via e-mail. The program airs every Tuesday night from 10:00-10:45 PM, Eastern Time (7:00-7:45 PM, Pacific Time), and all previous shows are archived for easy access. Illness and Disease Database: OnHealth.com offers users true one-stop searching within the most comprehensive medical condition and pharmacy databases online. If it affects health, it's included in Conditions A-Z, OnHealth.com's exclusive, definitive reference tool; and if consumers want to know what a drug does, its appropriate use and its potential side effects, OnHealth.com's deep pharmacy reference will provide them with the answers.
OnHealth.com
OnHealth.com is an award-winning Web site that is a resource to consumers looking for timely, relevant and reliable information on health and wellness issues. The site delivers In-Depth Reports, as well as news and information from deep databases and rich references. It also provides personalized health services, local health information resources, as well as extensive community support and discussions. In addition, OnHealth.com has assembled an active Medical Advisory Board made up of specialists from the Condition Center partner institutions.
OnHealth Network Company
OnHealth Network Company is an electronic publisher of interactive, multimedia health and wellness information. The company delivers its content via the Web at www.OnHealth.com. In addition OnHealth provides content and Q&A video clips featuring leading medical specialists for America's Health Network, a 24-hour health and medical cable network.
Infoseek
Based in Sunnyvale, Calif., Infoseek Corporation (NASDAQ:SEEK - news) is a connected media company and a leading Internet navigation service that is designed to be everyone's first choice on the Internet. In addition to the Infoseek Internet service, Infoseek licenses its Ultraseek Server search and navigation software to companies for their own intranet, extranet and Internet sites. Infoseek has commerce and/or content arrangements with entities that include AT&T (NYSE:T - news), Auto-By-Tel, Borders Group, Inc. (NYSE:BGP - news), CMP Media, Inc. (NASDAQ:CMPX - news), Datek Online, Inc., DLJ/Direct, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - news), PeopleLink Inc., Bell Atlantic (BEL), UPS, and Reuters. Infoseek's World Wide Web site and Internet navigation services can be accessed at infoseek.com. For more information on Infoseek's software portfolio, visit software.infoseek.com.
Comcast Online Communications
Comcast Online Communications, through its partnership with @Home Network, offers residential customers the fastest, easiest, and most entertaining way to access the Internet from home in six markets. InYourTown provides unique and local Internet content for Comcast@Home subscribers, as well as all Internet users in 23 Comcast Cable markets. Comcast Online Communications can be found on the web at www.ComcastOnline.com. Comcast Corporation [Nasdaq:CMCSA - news] is principally engaged in the development, management and operation of broadband cable networks, cellular and personal communications systems and the provision of content. Comcast, the fourth largest domestic cable company, also provides satellite video service through its equity interest in Primestar and holds ownership interests in cable and telephony businesses in the United Kingdom. Comcast's cellular operations serve markets with a population of more than 8.4 million, while personal communications services are provided through the Company's investment in Sprint PCS. Comcast provides content through its majority-owned subsidiaries, QVC, the world's premier electronic retailer, E! Entertainment Television, Comcast-Spectacor and Comcast SportsNet and through other investments, including The Golf Channel, Speedvision and Outdoor Life. Comcast's Class A and Class A Special Common Stock are traded on The NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbols CMCSA and CMCSK, respectively. More information on Comcast Corporation can be found on the Company's web site on the Internet at www.comcast.com.
MindSpring
MindSpring Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:MSPG - news) is a leading Internet service provider focused on delivering outstanding service and support to its customers. By following its core values and beliefs, MindSpring is committed to doing an exceptional job of serving its customers, its employees, its owners and its community. MindSpring's dial-up subscribers can browse the World Wide Web, send electronic mail, participate in informative online chats and access over 20,000 newsgroups. MindSpring offers local Internet service in more than 360 locations throughout the United States. MindSpring is also a leading provider of Web Hosting services and domain registrations.
Planet Direct
Planet Direct, a wholly owned subsidiary company of CMG Information Services, Inc., (NASDAQ:CMGI - news), is a personal Web service that tailors members' online experience to their interests and local community while providing necessary, everyday information such as news, weather, financial data, calendars, and topical interest areas. Planet Direct integrates brand name content with enhanced links to popular content sites and other services, all presented logically and intuitively to provide consumers with quick access to personal interests in a community atmosphere. Planet Direct is available free, online at planetdirect.com, as well as through over 300 Internet Service Providers nationwide and affinity groups like Discover Card.
NOTE: Certain statements in this release, such as securing strategic alliances and obtaining support from other technology companies are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Potential risks and uncertainties include such factors as acceptance of the Company's products and services, competition and other risks described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1997.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact:
OnHealth Network Company
Susan Bluttman, Public Relations, 301/564-0819
OR
Deborah Taylor, Marketing, 206/652-0302
OR
Bobbi Hoff, Investor Relations, 206/652-0308
------------------------------------------------------------------------
More Quotes
|
