Miami, FL - November 19, 2008
Terra Networks USA Partners with PetMD to Offer Consumers Pet Health Information and Services in English and Spanish
Miami, Florida – November 19, 2008 – Terra Networks USA, the leading bilingual digital content producer with a focus on the U.S. Hispanic market and PetMD announced a new partnership to provide free pet health information and services in English and Spanish to consumers in the U.S. The partnership will also provide marketers in the $41 billion pet industry with an online advertising platform reaching more than 2.3 million unique users every month.
Fernando Rodríguez, CEO of Terra Networks USA, said: “We are very excited to be able to offer our users and pet owners in general a much-needed online resource in English and Spanish with the most accurate medical information for pets”.
"Terra's impact on the U.S. Hispanic market is undeniable. Our partnership with such an industry giant, allows us to reach the largest, fastest growing minority of the U.S. population. We now have the resources to provide our advertising clients with first-class access to a demographic that over indexes the general market in almost every sector," said Nicolas Chereque, Vice President of Sales, PetMD.
PetMD offers numerous resources, such as the pet health library (www.petmd.com/healthlibrary) with topics ranging from simple explanations of dog aggression to complex types of bacterial infections in reptiles. Consumers also have access to a dedicated first aid section highlighting frequent emergencies for most species (www.petmd.com/emergency). Additionally, PetMD helps pet owners connect with veterinarians by providing a local directory of animal health professionals (www.petmd.com/findveterinarian). The Spanish portal, espanol.petmd.com, provides PetMD’s trusted pet health content to the Spanish speaking population.
According to a Pew survey conducted in 2006, nearly six in ten (57%) of all adults in this country own a pet or pets of one kind or another, with dog owners (39% of all adults) outnumbering cat owners (23%). Thirty-nine (39%) of Hispanics have a pet, compared to sixty-four (64%) of Caucasians and thirty-percent (30%) of African-Americans. Pet owners are also more affluent: sixty-nine (69%) of adults with incomes of $100,000 or more have a pet, compared to forty-five (45%) of adults with an income below $30,000, according to the study.
The pet industry has grown as the number of pets has steadily increased over the years. In 1994 annual sales were at $17 billion. This number more than doubled in 13 years to reach $40.8 billion for the year 2007. Within the last 5 years, sales have increased an average of 6% per year, making the pet industry one of the solid growth sectors in the economy. The lion share of the projected total industry sales for 2007 is divided between pet food with 39% ($16.1 billion), veterinary care 24% ($9.8 billion) and medicine 24% ($9.9 billion). Other animal purchases and pet services like grooming make up the remaining 13% or ($5 billion).
About Terra USA
Terra USA is the leading original digital content producer with a primary focus on the US Hispanic experience. Its portal Terra.com includes 29 channels in English and Spanish featuring News, Music, Entertainment, Sports and Terra TV as well as community areas, blogs and services reaching the broadest audience in the U.S. Hispanic market according to comScore Media Metrix and Nielsen/Net Ratings. Terra.com is part of the largest Internet company in Latin America, with presence in 18 countries, including the United States, and already has approximately 60 million unique visitors per month, 8 million unique users per month on Terra TV, with an average of 66 million streamings per month. In 2007, Terra Latin America reported US$500 million in net revenues.
About PetMD
PetMD is an online resource focused solely on pet health and maintains the largest trusted pet health library written and approved by a network of veterinarians. PetMD was founded to inspire pet owners to provide an ever-increasing quality of life for their pets and to connect pet owners with veterinarians through a trusted, comprehensive website. PetMD is headquartered in Miami, Florida. More information is available at www.petmd.com.
Media Contacts:
For Terra USA Hispanic Media Relations:
Lina Baena
Phone: 305.447.4015
Email: lina@ccomgroupinc.com
For Terra USA General Market Media Relations:
Shawna Seldon
Phone: 212.255.7541
Email: Shawna@rosengrouppr.com
For PetMD:
Monica Ullrich
Phone: 786.302.8513
monica@petmd.com
