There’s a new media player on the zoomer block. This April, Rogers Publishing is launching EverBetter.ca, a new website targeting the 50+ segment.

‘It’s just natural to go after that demographic, because they’re the largest demographic in Canada right now,’ says Jean Goulet, executive publisher at Rogers.

The site’s lifestyle content, drawn from a mix of original and existing Rogers sources – both its publications and websites – aims to be highly engaging, user-friendly and driven by its userbase, says Goulet. ‘It’s going to cover a broad spectrum of areas that are relevant to this demographic,’ Goulet tells MiC.

Goulet says ad opportunities on the new site include sponsorship, although he notes he’s ‘not looking at developing a buttons-and-banner site.’

Contender ZoomerMedia has been courting the 45+ market with a number of websites, radio stations and a magazine since it launched less than two years ago. Lifestyle content like health, finance, and travel info has proved lucrative for the co, and according to Leanne Wright, VP communications at ZoomerMedia, ad pages have increased 60%, with net ad revenues doubling since the redesign of Zoomer magazine (formerly CARP magazine) last October.

‘We’ve attracted a whole new category of advertisers too,’ adds Wright, citing beauty, fashion and travel brands. There’s high-profile interest in the magazine – ‘Margaret Atwood is on the cover of the next issue,’ says Wright. ‘She wrote an exclusive piece on debt.’

Boomers are also proving they like surfing the net. ZoomerMedia’s 50Plus.ca has about 200,000 unique monthly visits per page, and about a 60% visitor increase in 2008, compared to 2007.

A recent, quiet launch of the social networking site Zoomers.ca also points to boomer interest in blogs and social networks. The site already has about 55,000 members since it launched.