The Weather Channel Interactive Acquires Weather Bonk

The Weather Channel Interactive Acquires Weather Bonk

ATLANTA, Sept. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The Weather Channel Interactive (TWCi) today announced the acquisition through an affiliate of the assets of Weather Bonk (http://www.weatherbonk.com/), a Web 2.0 property that incorporates user generated and partner content, links to other sites, and current weather conditions and forecasts. The site features mashups, with the different information overlaid on Google maps. The purchase also includes Golf Bonk (http://www.golfbonk.com/) and Ski Bonk (http://www.skibonk.com/), outdoor sports sites each featuring innovative mashups similar to weatherbonk.com. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

The Weather Bonk acquisition is the first by TWCi and is a part of its efforts to seek opportunities for expansion through the acquisition of companies that complement the core assets of TWCi, ideally any natural extensions of weather.com's Web and mobile sites. Future targets may include travel, vacations, health, recreation, playing and watching sports, traffic and other local content and green living. "I am looking forward to continuing to develop the Weather Bonk properties aided by the resources of The Weather Channel Interactive," said David Schorr, founder of Weather Bonk.

"When TWCi formed our group we set out to identify companies that could provide content that would leverage our existing web properties," said Steve Hassett, vice president for new ventures at The Weather Channel Interactive. "Weather Bonk is our first deal and we are actively looking for additional acquisition opportunities."

About The Weather Channel Interactive

The Weather Channel Interactive (TWCi) is the leading provider of broadband and wireless weather products including weather.com, Desktop Weather by The Weather Channel, and The Weather Channel Mobile. weather.com, the Web site of The Weather Channel, is the ultimate source of weather on the Web, helping users plan their lives by delivering timely current conditions, expert forecasts and relevant lifestyle content for 98,000 locations worldwide. weather.com reaches more than 35 million unique users each month, is the most popular source of online weather, news and information according to Nielsen/NetRatings. TWCi provides consumers with unique and customizable products such as Desktop Weather and a full lineup of mobile services including downloads, messaging, mobile Web, and mobile video. Other TWCi sites include forGetaway.com, a vacation home rental site, Forecast Earth, a site dedicated to the discussion of climate change, and a series of international sites, including http://www.weather.co.uk/, http://www.meteo123.com/, http://www.wetter123.com/, http://www.canaldotempo.com/ and http://www.weather.com/espanol.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: The Weather Channel Interactive

CONTACT: David Blumenthal of The Weather Channel, +1-770-226-2611,
dblumenthal@weather.com; or Dana Mark of Trevelino Keller Communications for
The Weather Channel Interactive, +1-404-214-0722 x113,
dmark@trevelinokeller.com

Web site: http://www.weather.com/
http://www.weatherbonk.com/
http://www.golfbonk.com/
http://www.skibonk.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment