HomePortfolio Announces Alliance with Excite@Home

Furniture World Magazine

HomePortfolio, a leading Internet destination for the best in home design, announced a three-year alliance with Excite@Home (NASDAQ: ATHM), a leader in broadband, covering a broad range of content, commerce, marketing and advertising initiatives. Excite@Home announced that it had made an investment inHomePortfolio as part of a $48 million third round of financing. "Excite@Home offers HomePortfolio unparalleled marketing and distribution capabilities," said Dale Williams, CEO of HomePortfolio. "And HomePortfolio offers Excite@Home's millions of users the ability to communicate, gather information and buy goods and services to create the homes of their dreams." "We are committed to bringing our customers the best products and services available anywhere on the web," said Jon Skinner, senior vice president at Excite@Home. "HomePortfolio shares this commitment by offering its users access to a vast range of high quality products, and the industry's leading informative and useful home design content." The alliance between HomePortfolio and Excite@Home includes the following elements: Content Integration Across Excite@Home Media: HomePortfolio's content, including decorating and interior design information and products, home remodeling tips and how-tos, and extensive product information, will be distributed and featured on co-branded channels of the Excite@Home broadband and narrowband media services. HomePortfolio's wide array of home design products will be featured across Excite@Home media, and Excite@Home intends to provide enhanced digital images and designer show room videos to consumers with high-speed, broadband connections. The Excite Network, one of the leading web media networks, reaches more than 30 million unique consumers each month. The @Home service is the leading broadband online service provider with more than 1.5 million broadband subscribers. Database Marketing Services: MatchLogic, an Excite@Home company, will provide HomePortfolio with a customized suite of digital marketing services including co-branded sweepstakes and DeliverE(tm) targeted email campaigns. Rich Media Advertising: Excite@Home's Enliven® business unit, will provide HomePortfolio with rich media advertising solutions. Global Access: HomePortfolio's content and services will be made available in selected international markets through localized versions of the Excite@Home services. Advertising and Sponsorship: HomePortfolio will advertise in and sponsor select channels and sub-channels across Excite@Home media properties utilizing Excite@Home's lifestyle and psychographic targeting capabilities. This agreement marks the second major deal with HomePortfolio's strategic investors. On April 19, the Meredith Corporation, an investor in HomePortfolio, announced a strategic marketing alliance with HomePortfolio. Other strategic investors participating in HomePortfolio's recent third round of financing include Home & Garden Television (HGTV) and CondéNet, an affiliate of Condé Nast (publishers of Architectural Digest and House & Garden magazines).