Today I got word that ConsumerReports.org – which has 3.3 million online subscribers – is launching a new site ConsumerReportsHealth.org. This subscription offering is $9 per year with, I presume, recurring billing.The timing made me laugh because I just got off a webinar where question #2 was “what niches do you think are best to launch new subscription sites in?” For some reason, when I was on the spot I didn’t say “health”, although actually it’s been a category that’s been bugging me for awhile.  Health advisory subscription content for consumers was a HUGE category in the offline subscription world in the 1980s and 1990s. But that boom hasn’t translated online yet, in part, I think, because pharma ad dollars are falling off trees.Frankly, though, most ad-based health sites are so focused on delivering pageviews and clicks to advertisers that the quality of health info sites has suffered greatly. Most, even the famous names, look and feel a bit spammy. Not useful. And, certainly not written in a language that people without medical degrees can appreciate.So, yes. Along with a few other categories I named today, I would say branded health advisory products are well worth researching for possible launches. Name brand doctors and institutions tend to work the best (Dr Weil’s team was testing paid content back at the turn of this century you know.)Often you need an ancillary revenue stream to do the best with these… consumers may pay $9 month or $39-99 year for health advice. In the past, health advisory letters often supplemented revenues by selling their own branded lines of supplements and vitamins.