Disney Buys Parenting Hub Babble.com

Disney has beefed up its parenting content with the acquisition of Babble.com, a five-year-old publisher and blogging platform focused on subjects ranging from practical (recipes, baby naming tips) to indulgent (celebrity kid sightings). The site attracted 2.7 million unique visitors last month, down about 15 percent from 3.2 million in October 2010, according to comScore.

Babble says it is the publishing platform of choice for approximately 200 mom bloggers. By acquiring it, the companies said, "Disney Interactive’s Moms and Family business gains a blogging platform that elevates the first-person stories of parenthood." Disney also plans to supplement Babble.com with its own evergreen parenting content.

Babble's advertisers include the usual suspects: Pampers, Huggies, and Similac have all created custom campaigns. A Similac campaign from last year involved a wallpaper unit on the site's home page featuring a new product, as well as a poll.

"Given that we're a newer site, we have a lot of flexibility with the way the site is built, and fewer limitations with how advertising is presented," Alisa Volkman, co-publisher and VP of sales strategy with Babble Media, told ClickZ at the time. "We think it's really important to allow advertising and editorial to overlap in ways that appeal to the reader and also satisfy the advertiser's objectives."

Babble will remain based in New York, and founders Rufus Griscom and Alisa Volkman will join the Disney Interactive Media Group. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

Tessa Weggert contributed.