Skip to main content

AOL is Changing its Name, Model, and Results

New York Times reports that AOL, which recently changed its name from America Online, is in the midst of transforming itself from a proprietary Internet service provider, with a large but dwindling number of dial-up subscribers, to an entertainment portal that makes money through online advertising.

The company has announced a flurry of deals this year. AOL has also reached an agreement with Katalyst Films, the California company founded by the actor Ashton Kutcher and the producer Jason Goldman that created the TV show "Beauty and the Geek."

Katalyst will develop five comedy series for AOL, each with at least 20 episodes. AOL already has a children's cartoon, "Princess Natasha," about a student who is also a secret agent, that has crossed from the Web to television, where it is shown on the Cartoon Network. And AOL has started In2TV, a free Web site showing old TV shows.

But the shift has not come without some pain. Among top entertainment portals, AOL was the only one to have a drop in page views at the end of last year, falling 15 percent in December from a year earlier, to 16.6 million page views, according to ComScore Networks, a consulting firm that measures Web use.

Popular posts from this blog

Global Rise of Domestic Payment Ecosystems

Alternative Payment Methods (APMs) – comprising digital wallets, instant payments, and QR payment systems – are experiencing explosive growth that's reshaping the global financial services marketplace. According to the latest worldwide market study by ABI Research , the combined global transaction value for APMs is projected to reach $142 trillion by 2030. What's particularly fascinating is the underlying driver behind this trend: a growing desire for financial sovereignty, with nations developing domestic payment ecosystems rather than remaining dependent on international financial networks. Payment Ecosystem Market Development In 2024, approximately 45 percent of the global population used digital wallets – a remarkable adoption rate for a technology that barely existed a decade ago. China leads this transition, with 95 percent of its population using WeChat's payment functionality. WeChat exemplifies the "super app" phenomenon, where payment capabilities are in...