MSLO Launches Pet Initiative

New Website to be Supported by Pet-Focused TV Programming, Magazine and Radio Content
Nestle Purina PetCare, Purina ONE to Be Lead Sponsor of Multimedia Pets Program

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. today announced the launch of a multiplatform pets initiative with www.marthastewart.com/pets as a cornerstone of the program. The website will provide fresh ideas and information related to pet care and the joys of animal companionship, including a blog from the perspective of Martha's French Bulldogs, Francesca and Sharkey, called "The Daily Wag" at http://dailywag.marthastewart.com/.

The primary sponsor for the new website will be Nestle Purina PetCare, a leading global manufacturer of pet products and an innovative marketer within the pet food industry, and its super-premium pet food brand Purina ONE.

Martha Stewart is widely recognized as an animal lover who is devoted to her pets, many of whom have been featured in the pages of Martha Stewart Living, on the nationally syndicated daily television show The Martha Stewart Show, and on Martha's popular blog on marthastewart.com. This devotion is shared by her enthusiastic fan base. According to MRI, the Martha Stewart audience includes 9.7 million dog and cat owners who share their home with a collective 21.7 million dogs and cats; they purchase more than 200 million pounds of pet food each month.

Martha Stewart, Founder of MSLO, stated: "I have been passionate about pets all my life and over the years have been fortunate to share my home with many dogs, cats, and canaries. I understand why people consider their pets to be members of their family and am delighted to be offering a website, television programming, and other content that celebrate that special relationship and help consumers to better care for and enjoy their pets."

The new website will serve as a comprehensive resource for pet owners seeking information and ideas on a broad range of topics from nutrition and grooming to fun crafts and contests. In addition to Francesca and Sharkey's blog, it will feature hundreds of videos and articles, as well as photo galleries, quizzes, and more. The website will also provide advice about pets from MSLO's experts and Purina's nutritionists and veterinarians.

Nestle Purina and Purina ONE will be featured on the new website through proprietary content, a link to Purina ONE's website -- www.purinaone.com -- and through online advertisements. As part of its multi-million dollar agreement with MSLO, Nestle Purina and Purina ONE also will be the subject of two special segments on upcoming episodes of The Martha Stewart Show. Martha recently visited the St. Louis headquarters of Nestle Purina to film one of the segments.
"Nestle Purina and Purina ONE share a passion for pets with Martha Stewart, and we're excited to be collaborating with Martha on this new website," said Michael Crawford, vice president, Consumer Insights and Communications, Nestle Purina PetCare Co. "We believe this is a great opportunity to further educate pet owners about the best ways to nourish and care for their pets."

"MSLO is focused on integrating our assets around our audience's core passion areas. We are delighted to launch our Pets franchise with the support of Purina. It's a winning proposition for MSLO, for Purina and for consumers who care about pets," said Wenda Harris Millard, President of Media and co-CEO of MSLO.

The website is part of a larger effort to build on MSLO's established presence in the category and leverage its extensive library of pet content. Pet content, integrations and advertisements will be featured across all of MSLO's media platforms, including The Martha Stewart Show, Martha Stewart Living Radio and the company's magazines. MSLO also will explore Merchandising offerings.

During the past two decades, pet ownership in the United States has steadily increased to its highest level ever.* An estimated 63% of U.S. households -- or 71.1 million -- include at least one pet.* Consumers spent an estimated $52 billion on their pets in 2008, a number that has more than doubled in less than a decade.**