Comments on: Journal Reports that Google Has AOL Sewed UP

By: Stuart MacDonald

Stuart MacDonald — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 20:38:49 +0000

It's interesting. You have a company that *is* media, AOL (yes, yes, you could also say they are primarily an ISP, but given access is now a commodity their real value is what they offer inside their walled garden made up of people who tend to stay there), and a company that is *becoming* media, GOOG. As more ad money moves online and more is asked of the medium than simple paid search results (requiring it to step in to the passive brand building role that TV has historically played) an AOL/GOOG tie up makes a ton of sense. Well beyond the short term benefit of the protecting paid search revenue from their existing deal.

- Stuart

By: John

John — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 19:01:51 +0000

Holy premium!

Reuters reporting Google pays $1B for 5% stake in AOL.

By: John

John — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 18:50:13 +0000

Hey, didn't a Google/AOL deal push Overture into Yahoo's arms once? Could a MSFT/YHOO deal be next?

This is about traffic, but IMO, it is about Google's traffic more than it is about AOLs. Google is going to do for the TWX portfolio of brands what AOL could not! IMO.

By: MikeM

MikeM — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 18:30:01 +0000

Safe to say if this is true Google will be the search leader for the next generation as well.
Defining moment for Gates and company.

MSN should be pulling out all stops here!