Some conversations are best illustrated by educated strangers. Instead of listening to my mother drone on awkwardly about oral contraceptives, breast examinations and what she deemed "special lady time", I wish I could have saved us both the embarrassment and consulted a health-related video site. Instructional video platform 5min is teaming up with HealthCentral to create just that. HealthCentral's vast network of sites like Foodfit, MyBreastCancerNetwork.com and WellSphere will gain new video content via 5min's matching system. ]]> Earlier this month ReadWriteWeb covered 5min's partnership with major lifestyle TV network Scripps. 5min is sharing Scripps content from sites like HGTV, the Food Network and the DIY Network and matching it to relevant 5min network partners. As of this evening HealthCentral will become a network partner with access to the content matching technology, content from 5min's health category and streaming video advertising.
HealthCentral plans on exclusively selling video ad space to pharmaceutical and over-the-counter drug companies. In March, Nielsen released a report that drug-related ad spending had been cut back by almost $1 billion dollars since 2007. While it's tough to say if spending has decreased due to a shift from TV to more affordable web-based placements, 5min and HealthCentral are about to find out.
