$1 billion WebMD partnership unravels:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Billed as a $1 billion partnership when it was announced in December 1999, the deal between the global media company News Corporation and the internet healthcare company, WebMD has collapsed. WebMD will take a $275 million one-time, non-cash charge and News Corp will get back its cable television network, The Health Network. WebMD has already cancelled a similar contract with DuPont, valued at $220 million, saying that it could not make money on such content-led alliances. The fate of the $150 million Medtronic deal, announced last January (see Clinica No 893, p 2) is not yet known.