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Article Published April 11, 2003 
Editor's Corner
By: Rick Roberts, rick@globalgenealogy.com Genealogy.com (Family Tree Maker) Bought by MyFamily.com (Ancestry) In a world where online genealogical services and products companies continue to struggle for profitability, Genealogy.com LLC changes hands once again. MyFamily.com Inc. has announced their successful bid for Genealogy.com creating the largest single commercial genealogical enterprise on the planet. Rationalization of the industry is resulting in fewer participants in a once crowded market. Those who remain are attempting to achieve or improve profitability by deepening product lines, and absorbing competition. Time will tell if this development is a positive event for the genealogical community as a whole. However, if the merger of these two organizations is well managed, it will be a triumph for MyFamily.com. Press Release: PROVO, Utah, PRNewswire/
In addition, MyFamily will receive promotion on AETN television properties. Genealogy.com joins the MyFamily network of websites -- Ancestry.com, MyFamily.com, and RootsWeb.com -- giving customers a full complement of Internet services focused on connecting families with their histories and one another. Combined, the network of websites receives over 10 million unique visitors each month and has more than one million paid subscriptions. "We're excited to bring these two strong companies together to better serve consumers and the genealogy community," said Tom Stockham, President & CEO of MyFamily.com. "It's a great strategic fit and underscores an opportunity to serve the growing market for family history products. By providing customers with a broad set of tools to discover the information that makes their family history come to life, we help customers answer the questions, 'Who am I?', 'Where do I come from?' and 'How am I connected?'" "AETN is excited to see these two important family history companies come together, increasing the positive experience of consumers embarking on family research," said Nick Davatzes, President & CEO, A&E Television Networks. "We believe this agreement makes good sense for the businesses and for the consumer. AETN looks forward to a long-term strategic partnership with MyFamily." Genealogy.com will continue to offer its wide variety of products and services, including Family Tree Maker, and its dynamic roster of online subscription products. MyFamily will continue to improve upon the products and services Genealogy.com currently offers, enhancing the family history research experience. In addition, Genealogy.com will continue to host GenForum message boards, a widely used free genealogy community resource, with more than six million messages posted. MyFamily serves the fast-growing market of people with an interest in family history. As reported in a recent study, family history is one of the fastest-growing hobbies in the U.S., with over 60% of Americans interested in researching their family history. The addition of Genealogy.com's strong product line to MyFamily's network of websites, family tree software, databases on CD-ROM, message boards, books, and magazines, is a natural expansion, providing researchers valuable tools to quickly and easily explore their family history, saving them time and money. About MyFamily.com, Inc. MyFamily.com, Inc. is among the largest online subscription businesses, with over one million paid subscriptions. A next-generation media company, MyFamily is focused on connecting families with their histories and one another. The company provides both free and paid subscription services through it's network of Internet properties, which include: Ancestry.com, Genealogy.com, RootsWeb.com, and MyFamily.com. The Company also publishes Family Tree Maker and Ancestry Family Tree software, Ancestry magazine, Genealogical Computing magazine, over 50 book titles, and numerous databaseson CD-ROM. About A&E Television Networks A&E Television Networks is a joint venture of The Hearst Corporation, ABC, Inc. and NBC. AETN is an award-winning, international media company offering consumers a diverse communications environment ranging from television programming, magazine publishing, and web sites, to books, music CDs and home videos/DVDs, as well as supporting nationwide educational initiatives. A&E Television Networks is comprised of A&E Network, The History Channel, The Biography Channel, History International, AETN International, AETN Consumer Products, and Biography Magazine. SOURCE MyFamily.com, Inc.
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