New York Times unit About.com acquired ConsumerSearch.com, an online publisher of meta-reviews. ConsumerSearch.com is a starting place for consumers researching purchase decisions. The site covers thousands of consumer products through a network of freelance writers who analyze reviews from multiple online and offline sources. ConsumerSearch.com currently covers approximately 250 product categories and thousands of product reviews.

"This acquisition will greatly expand About.com's reach in numerous categories, substantially enhance our library of content and increase our advertising inventory, driving additional revenue growth," said Scott Meyer, president and CEO, About.com. "ConsumerSearch.com is the premier resource for consumer product meta-reviews that enable readers to make intelligent purchasing decisions quickly and accurately."

The purchase price was $33 million. The founder of ConsumerSearch, Inc., Derek Drew, and the company's five other employees will become employees of About.com.

About.com had previously acquired UCompareHealthCare.com, a site that provides consumers with access to quality ratings and related information on hospitals, nursing homes, mammography centers, fertility clinics and doctors, and Calorie-Count.com, a site that offers weight loss tools and nutritional information.