Satisfying curiosiy, one
acquisition at a time

Discovery Networks has announced the acquisition of HowStuffWorks.com for a whopping $250 million, its largest purchase so far, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The deal comes as the educational network seeks ways to boost its ailing online offerings.

HowStuffWorks is "one of the web's most popular online reference tools," touting some 11 million users and a "wealth of online reference content."

It's expected to make a natural pairing with Discovery's robust video library targeted to the "intellectually curious" — a market that boasts 60 million adults between ages 18 and 54.

In August, Discovery also purchased TreeHugger, an eco-friendly blog, for about $10 million.
Wired points out the buy signals a trend where major players buy pre-existing properties instead of using a "homegrown buildout" strategy. Look below for similar acquisitions.