BROOKLYN, N.Y.--(Business Wire)--
Waterfront Media, the largest privately held online health company
announced today a multi-year extension of its agreement with South
Beach Diet and Rodale Inc. to publish South Beach Diet Online. This
agreement marks the five-year anniversary of the launch of the site
and the publication of the original South Beach Diet, the bestselling
diet book in history.
"Waterfront Media's been enormously successful in its management
of South Beach Diet Online," said Dr. Arthur Agatston, preventive
cardiologist and creator of the South Beach Diet. "For five years, the
company has been a strong online partner with us, and along with
Rodale, we have a created powerful alliance. With Waterfront Media's
expertise in online publishing, we look forward to continuing to
expand and deepen our brand online."
"Our relationship with South Beach Diet and Rodale has always been
a strong partnership," said Ben Wolin, CEO and co-founder of
Waterfront Media. "South Beach Diet and Rodale had confidence in our
new company in 2003 and we are thrilled that our track record over the
past five years provided the basis for all of us to continue as
partners. We have valued their trust in our efforts to provide a truly
interactive and customized experience for the hundreds of thousands of
paid South Beach Diet Online customers. As the brand continues to
mature, Waterfront Media will lead the charge online."
"We are extremely pleased with the results of our collaboration
with Waterfront Media, and the phenomenal success of the South Beach
Diet brand since its launch in 2003," said Steven Pleshette Murphy,
President and CEO of Rodale, which has published all of the South
Beach Diet books by its creator, Dr. Arthur Agatston, the world
renowned cardiologist. "We have sold 22 million copies of the book
worldwide and are poised to launch The South Beach Diet Supercharged,
a pivotal work in which Dr. Agatston shares a program for lifelong
health and fitness. Our online strategy in tandem with Waterfront
Media has been fundamental to the overall results of the brand and
will be invaluable in launching this new work."
In Spring 2008, Waterfront Media will rollout all-new features for
South Beach Diet Online including a social networking platform where
South Beach Diet members will be able to customize their personal
homepage with photos, links to their favorite tools, specific meal
plans, their weight tracker, a list of favorite recipes, a blog and
comment section, and a completely new total body workout fitness
program to rev up metabolism with an enhanced support program by
registered dietitians.
About South Beach Diet
Created by practicing cardiologist, Arthur Agatston, MD in the
mid-1990's to help his patients whose weight and blood chemistries
were not improving on the standard, low-fat recommended diets. His
balanced approach became the basis for the South Beach Diet book, his
first non-academic work, which became an international bestseller in
April 2003 with over 11 million copies in print worldwide.
With more than 22 million copies of South Beach Diet titles in
print worldwide, other titles include: The South Beach Diet Cookbook
(Rodale 2004); The South Beach Diet Good Fats Good Carbs Guide (Rodale
2004); The South Beach Quick & Easy Cookbook (Rodale 2005); and The
South Beach Dining Guide (Rodale 2005), The South Beach Diet Parties &
Holidays Cookbook (Rodale October 2006);The South Beach Heart Program:
The 4-Step Plan that Can Save Your Life (January 2007);The South Beach
Heart Health Revolution (St. Martin's Griffin January 2008), The South
Beach Diet Supercharged (Rodale May 2008) and the South Beach Diet Web
site which launched in May 2003.
Dr. Agatston is also the founder of the Agatston Research
Foundation, which is dedicated to improving the heart health and
wellness of the nation through research, education, and prevention.
About Waterfront Media
Waterfront Media is the largest privately held online health
company and operates Everyday Health, which attracts over 14 million
unique users per month. Through its network of health, diet, fitness
and pregnancy Web sites, including its flagship EverydayHealth.com,
Waterfront Media enables consumers to live healthier lives every day.
Founded in 2002 by Ben Wolin and Mike Keriakos, Waterfront Media's
other sites include SouthBeachDiet.com by Dr. Arthur Agatston;
JillianMichaels.com, the online fitness program from co-host of The
Biggest Loser; as well as MyOptimumHealthPlan.com, Dr. Andrew Weil's
online program, and WhatToExpect.com based on the best-selling
pregnancy and parenting guide, "What to Expect When You're Expecting"
by Heidi Murkoff. The company also has partnerships with the ABC
Television Network, the Food Network, Random House, and HarperCollins,
among others.
Waterfront Media is funded by Rho Capital, Scale Venture Partners,
Foundation Capital, Neocarta Ventures, BEV Capital, and Village
Ventures. For more information, visit www.waterfrontmedia.com/.
About Rodale
Rodale Inc. is the authoritative source for trusted content in
health, fitness, and wellness around the world, reaching more than 70
million people globally. The company publishes some of the best-known
health and wellness lifestyle magazines, including Men's Health,
Prevention, Women's Health, Runner's World, Best Life, Bicycling,
Running Times, Mountain Bike, and Organic Gardening, and is also the
largest independent book publisher in America with a collection of
international titles, including The South Beach Diet and The Abs Diet
franchises, and Al Gore's New York Times bestseller An Inconvenient
Truth. Rodale's broad range of media platforms includes magazines,
books, video, and extensive web sites. The company is also a leader in
direct-response marketing and has more than 25 million active
customers in its database. Visit the Web site at
http://www.rodale.com/.
Rubenstein Communications, Inc.
Media:
Lori Ferme, 212-843-8291
lferme@rubenstein.com
Copyright Business Wire 2008
