Oxygen may prove a
breath of fresh air

After a shaky start incorporating iVillage into its media suite, NBC Universal is considering the acquisition of cable network Oxygen, reports The New York Times.

The integration of iVillage into the NBC Universal media world has been slow and fraught with disappointing starts. Only recently has ad revenue and site traffic begun to creep back up, and the "iVillage Live" television show has been revived.

Adding to the renaissance of a fresh iVillage is the more complete integration of the full NBCU ad sales staff. The entire team is now able to sell iVillage ad space. The company has also found premiere partners, such as TheKnot, to replace those that left when NBCU bought the site.

The purchase of Oxygen would add a female-targeted television property to the NBCU stable that would go hand in hand with iVillage, which was recently unseated by Glam as the #1 online women's network.

Oxygen has proven a kind of maverick in its own right. It was the first to successfully utilize eBay's bid-based ad network, about which much ado was made.