With 2006 revenues estimated at more than $510 million, up from an estimated $460 million for 2005, the newly formed Forbes Media Network is on a roll.

Forbes Media currently includes print, online conferences, radio and TV properties. At this time, an estimated $330 million still comes from the American edition of Forbes Magazine, however, senior executives Steve Forbes and Jim Spanfeller both tell Mequoda that online publishing revenues will pass print in 2008 or 2009—if the current growth rates for both print (up 6% for 2006) and online (up 57% for 2006) hold for 2007, 2008 and 2009.

This would the first time in media history that an online publishing business using an existing media brand would surpass the revenues of its successful print sibling. It will happen sooner or later. The question is simply which media brand will be the first. Forbes is an odds-on favorite for accomplishing the feat. And the feat will be all the more impressive because Forbes Magazine is continuing to grow its revenue and profits while Forbes.com makes its impressive climb. The milestone will prove that a wildly successful dot.com brand extension does not hurt the print sibling from which it sprung. In fact, the power and synergy of the integrated brand strategy may give the existing magazine a competitive edge on several fronts.