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Mindshare Metrics: Google, AOL & MSN

According to Nielsen//NetRatings, with Google and Comcast in discussions with Time Warner about purchasing a minority stake in AOL, the following are some Internet mindshare metrics worth noting.

MSN, Google and AOL ranked as the third through fifth most popular Web brands during September 2005. Were AOL & Google or AOL & MSN to merge, the resulting Web entity would clearly be the No. 1 Website, each comprising an active reach of 72 percent or 79 percent, respectively.

Google and AOL would attract 107 million unique visitors, while MSN and AOL would garner 118 million unique visitors. Clearly, any potential partnership or merger could potentially change the future course of the online advertising business.

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