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Time Warner Confirms Split With AOL

Posted by Soulskill on from the no-plans-for-coaster-hall-of-fame dept.

ausekilis writes "Many outlets are reporting that Time Warner has confirmed plans to spin off AOL. All that's left to deal with are a few financial hurdles, such as buying out Google's 5% stake in AOL. The interesting part of the story is that both AOL's CEO and Time Warner's CEO said effectively the same thing, that AOL will be better off as an independent unit, as opposed to 'a cog in the Time Warner wheel.' Interesting to note that when they originally merged, the idea was for AOL to be a one-stop shop for all your internet goods. Makes you wonder what would have happened if Time Warner had invested in AOL as an exclusive media outlet for movies, TV, music, etc. Perhaps AOL would have regained some speed and become the prominent household name it once was, instead of being that company who sent us all the free coasters."

7 of 94 comments (clear)

  1. Web verticalization by moon3 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Do we really need those all-inclusive portals anymore ? Time Warner might be thinking along those lines..

    1. Re:Web verticalization by carlzum · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Most countries are poor and lack any cultural influence. Time Warner's market cap is about $28 billion which puts them ahead of more than half the world's nations in terms of GDP (I know, not exactly apples to apples). Obviously Time Warner has far more cultural influence than most countries.

      "Biblical" is pure hyperbole, but this merger should have been significant. Time Warner acquired service providers, search engines, and web browsers at a perfect time in the Internet's development. With their television, movie, publishing, and music properties at the time, they were in a much better position than companies like Apple or Google. They can't blame the merger for this failure, it was good old-fashioned incompetence. They let AOL, Netscape, AIM, etc. wither into irrelevance and put their energy and resources into fighting the advances they should have been developing (i.e. RIAA.)

  2. About... by Darkness404 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    About the only thing that AOL really has that are of any worth are AIM and a few blogs such as Engdaget. Other then that they have ruined their reputation too much to be profitable in any other thing.

    --
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  3. Re:AOL==coasters by elashish14 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    > Perhaps AOL would have regained some speed and become the prominent household name it > once was, instead of being that company who sent us all the free coasters.

    Was it ever anything else? (I didn't actually get very many, though.)

    I think a better reason for failure is that, quite simply, it was a bad idea which served its purpose only for a while until everyone realized that something else was far better. Yeah, the people behind it hate seeing it that way though.

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  4. The appeal of AOL by Orion+Blastar · · Score: 4, Insightful

    was mostly to people who couldn't figure out how to set up their Dialup account for Internet Access. One AOL install CD and they were on the Internet. Plus they had access to the Time/Warner media empire via the AOL search engine.

    But now most operating systems have Wizards to guide ISP setup just as easy as the AOL Install CD and most Broadband ISPS have install CDs to set up DSL/Cable Modems and Routers. Plus the media is all over the Internet and not just in an AOL search database. So really what need is there for AOL anymore?

    The only advantage for AOL is for those people who cannot get broadband but need a local call-in number that most other ISP's don't offer. I remember bringing my laptop to Branson, Missouri and my NetZero Free Internet dial-up account on my laptop could not get a local Branson number (From Branson for some reason calling Springfield and Joplin numbers where toll access at the Time Sharing Condos and are considered long distance and hence charged more on the bill even if they are in the same area code), but the people at the Time Sharing Condo said that AOL had several local numbers that work with their AOL software.

    But now with USB G3 based modems you can get an Internet connection almost anywhere for $40/month or lower. Plus many places offer free Wifi. So there isn't much need for dial-up access local numbers anymore. Cricket has a pay as you go plan, so you can pay for G3 access before you go on vacation and have a whole month to use it.

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  5. Re:Ted Turner: The merger was "better than sex". by Jurily · · Score: 2, Insightful

    even the U.S. invading Iraq lost more money.

    The US, yes, but what about the people who lobbied for the invasion?

    </troll>

  6. EXACTLY! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    That was exaclty my thoughts: If AOL could make it through all the shit of the past 10 years, especially the horrible merger/de-merger, AOL ain't going no where. AOL has doth proven itself as a stable company being still in existence despite some of the worst things to happen to an ISP/internet_content_provider. In short, if AOL's made it this far it ain't gonna die. AOL just needs to find something novel to deliver and bring people back. I still use my AOL email accounts from the early 90's. I don't even have to mention still using AIM, as it's the most widely used Instant Messenger (hell, everyone I meet has an AIM screen name). Now that AOL is free from the Time-Warner-cog, let's see it be an internet presence again (instead of just a platform to push TimeWarner crap).