Martha Stewart's Big Move From TV Star to Web Stalwart

Remember when Martha Stewart seemed on the verge of media overexposure? No longer. Hallmark Channel this summer ended her daily TV show, the September issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine has almost 40 percent fewer ad pages than last year, according to Media Industry Newsletter, and her company seems headed toward its fifth consecutive year of red ink. At less than $3, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia shares are worth a mere 8 percent of the $40 they hit after she took it public in 1999, serving orange juice and brioche to New York Stock Exchange traders. In today’s world, where Bravo’s Real Housewives throw tables, who wants to watch someone calmly teaching people how to repair one?

Rather than pack up her cookbooks and craft bags and head home to Connecticut or the Hamptons, America’s most famous homemaker is remaking her brand into one focused heavily on the Internet. On Sept. 10, the company announced new partnerships to extend its content online, including a Martha Stewart Network with programs featuring Martha and chef Emeril Lagasse (another MSLO brand) on video-streaming services Hulu and Hulu Plus, a deal to distribute shorter video clips on the AOL On Network, and a partnership with digital media company Fullscreen to rev up Martha’s presence on YouTube.