CNET: TreeHugger acquisition confirmed. A representative for eco-blog TreeHugger has confirmed that the site has been acquired by Discovery Communications, parent company of the Discovery Channel, The Science Channel, Animal Planet, and several other properties. A report of the deal initially surfaced in the New York Post today. A press release from Discovery and TreeHugger confirmed that the blog will be part of the upcoming Planet Green network, but financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The New York Post had suggested a $10 million price tag.
The skeptics will call this more evidence of big media co-opting emerging media. I call it a natural flow.
Keep in mind the following fact: If Discovery tampers with TreeHugger in ways that turn off the site’s audience and participants, they can always go somewhere else. The barrier to entry for another eco-site is close to zero.
That’s the difference between old and new media, and it’s the one that will keep the journalistic and media ecosystems diverse and vibrant.