The Nickelodeon unit of Sumner Redstone's Viacom, best known for bringing the world SpongeBob SquarePants, Jimmy Neutron, and iCarly, Monday said it has acquired Babunga, a network of parenting web sites based in the Netherlands.
Babunga's sites, including BabyNamesWorld.com and wikiparenting.com, have been incorporated into ParentsConnect.com, a parenting portal and social network created by Viacom's Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group.
Terms were not disclosed, but the deal puts Viacom, owner of MTV Networks, DreamWorks, and Paramount Pictures, into competition with sites like Babycenter, ivillage Parenting, and Club Mom.
In 2003, Dutch search engine consulting firm Tribal Internet Marketing, noting the popularity of baby name searches, launched BabyNamesWorld.com. The company later rolled out wikiparenting.com and 3DPregnancy.com and in 2005, created Tribal Internet Projects as a separate parent company for the startup sites.
Viacom already runs NickJr.com for preschoolers, but the baby-naming and pregnancy sites will help give the company firepower in seeking to attract the parents of the youngest children.
"With ParentsConnect, we aim to broaden our leadership position with parents, and go beyond parents of pre-schoolers," Steve Youngwood, executive vice president, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids & Family Group, said in an e-mailed response to questions through a spokesperson.
If successful, Viacom would be able to tap into a fast-growing advertising market.
"It is hard to quantify exactly, but we believe the online parent ad market is at least $300 to $500 million dollars and growing fast," Mr. Youngwood said.
Aside from social-networking tools, ParentsConnect, relaunched in early February, offers online events guides for families and digital scrapbook tools.
To promote the new site, Viacom is airing commercials on the Nickelodeon cable TV channel and on sister web sites. The company also is counting on star power, recruiting "Grey's Anatomy" actress Chandra Wilson as guest editor of the ParentsConnect site.