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AOL and Michael Eisner’s Vuguru Team Up to Create Original Content For AOL
Wednesday 10 November 2010
AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL) and Vuguru, an independent studio that finances world-class story-driven content for digital and emerging platforms, today announced that Vuguru will develop and produce a minimum of six original scripted series for distribution by AOL. The partnership is part of AOL’s strategy to provide high-quality content and engaging video experiences for its millions of users. This announcement further demonstrates AOL’s commitment to the fast-emerging video space, and its conviction that online viewers value quality.
Founded by Michael Eisner, who served as Chairman & CEO of The Walt Disney Company for more than two decades after presiding over Paramount Pictures and before that, helping to take the ABC network from number three to number one in primetime, Vuguru is an ideal partner for AOL to help drive well-produced, compelling entertainment content across the Web.
“Until now, there’s been a gap in the online video consumer experience between user-generated video and the high production values of TV and film,” said Tim Armstrong, Chairman and CEO of AOL. “In joining forces with Vuguru and other premier studios and production companies, AOL is uniquely able to bridge that gap by bringing top quality, original video to the millions of users who come to our site each day. The magical combination of AOL’s impressive reach with one of the most visionary content creators will help us become a market leader in this largely untapped space.”
Eisner expressed, “The Internet’s next growth phase will be powered by professional, high-quality, story-driven content and the key to success is delivering that content to as many users as possible. With AOL’s best-in-breed distribution strength, I couldn’t have asked for a better partner to help reach that goal.” Added Vuguru’s President Larry Tanz, “AOL’s significant commitment to premium video content is inspiring to Vuguru which is equally focused on the same.”
Original Online
Programming Promises to Set “New Bar”
Vuguru will develop and produce a minimum of six high-quality, scripted video series over the next year, with AOL as its launch partner in the U.S.
With production values that far exceed the production costs, the six shows will set a new bar for original online entertainment. Each project will be produced as a continuous story of approximately 90 minutes in length with cliff-hangers or natural breaks so that they can be segmented for episodic distribution. The shows will be professionally written and produced and feature talent consistent with the caliber of Vuguru and AOL.
Partners Join Forces to Maximize Audience Engagement
In addition to rethinking the way that high-quality video content is produced and delivered, the deal is unique in that AOL and Vuguru will work together to package and sell these productions to maximize audience engagement and advertiser interest. Joining forces in this way will also help the two companies take advantage of the widely accepted industry rule that video monetizes at four times the value of traditional online content.
AOL is investing considerably in video and it’s paying off. In the past 3 months, video playbacks on the AOL network have grown 90%* Additionally, AOL acquired 5Min Media which had nearly 23 million unique viewers and more than 140 million video streams (including ad and content videos) in the U.S. in September 2010**. The company’s recently announced original video franchises are performing well. “You’ve Got,” the video feature that launched on the new AOL.com November 1st, generated more than 2M playbacks in its first week.*** For comparison, that puts “You’ve Got” on-pace with a top 10 web series****.
AUGT.OB
In Augme's case against Tacoda, Inc.; AOL, LLC; Time Warner, Inc.; and Platform-A, Inc., Judge Robert W. Sweet endorsed a letter on August 26, 2010 that was dated August 17, 2010, requesting that the Court assign to Magistrate Judge Ronald L. Ellis the above action for settlement purposes. A settlement conference has been scheduled with Judge Ellis on October 28, 2010.
AOL to Announce Third Quarter 2010 Financial Results
AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL) today announced that it will hold its quarterly conference call to discuss third quarter 2010 financial results on Wednesday, November 3, 2010 at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time (ET). AOL will issue a press release reporting results before the conference call on Wednesday, November 3, 2010.
AOL to Acquire TechCrunch Network of Sites
AOL Inc. [NYSE:AOL] today announced that it has agreed to acquire TechCrunch, Inc., the company that owns and operates TechCrunch and its network of websites dedicated to technology news, information and analysis. TechCrunch and its associated properties and conferences will join the AOL Technology Network while retaining their editorial independence, further bolstering AOL’s position as one of the world’s leading providers of high-quality, tech-oriented content. The announcement will be made on stage at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco, CA.
Founded by Michael Arrington, TechCrunch operates a global network of dedicated properties from Europe to Japan, as well as vertically-oriented websites, including MobileCrunch, CrunchGear, TechCrunchIT, GreenTech, TechCrunchTV and CrunchBase. The TechMeme Leaderboard ranks TechCrunch as the No. 1 source of breaking tech news online, followed by AOL’s Engadget.*
“Michael and his colleagues have made the TechCrunch network a byword for breaking tech news and insight into the innovative world of start-ups, and their reputation for top-class journalism precisely matches AOL’s commitment to delivering the expert content critical to this audience,” said Tim Armstrong, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AOL. “TechCrunch and its team will be an outstanding addition to the high-quality content on the AOL Technology Network, which is now a must-buy for advertisers seeking to associate their brands with leading technology content and its audience.”
Heather Harde, Chief Executive Officer of TechCrunch, said: “TechCrunch and AOL share a motivating passion for quality technology news and information, and we’re delighted about becoming part of the AOL family. This represents a compelling opportunity to extend the TechCrunch brand while complementing the great work of sites like Engadget and Switched. Our contributors, and our audiences, can look to the future with excitement about what we can build when we have the significant resources of AOL behind us.”
Michael Arrington, Founder and Co-Editor of TechCrunch, said: “Tim Armstrong and his team have an exciting vision for the future of AOL as a global leader in creating and delivering world-class content to consumers, be it through original content creation, partnerships or acquisitions. I look forward to working with everyone at AOL as we build on our reputation for independent tech journalism and continue to set the agenda for insight, reviews and collaborative discussion about the future of the technology industry.”
TechCrunch also hosts industry-leading conferences and events, including The Disrupt series, The Crunchies Awards and various meet-ups worldwide. These conferences bring together industry innovators, entrepreneurs and financing sources to exchange ideas, forge new relationships and discuss the current and future industry trends.
“Engagement with thought leaders is as important to AOL as our engagement with our contributors, audiences, publishers and advertisers, and TechCrunch’s conferences and websites will give us a promising, additional springboard to join and amplify these conversations. We’re committed to quality in everything we do at AOL, and look forward to working with Heather, Michael and the TechCrunch team to extend the brand,” said David Eun, President of AOL Media and Studios.
The AOL Technology Network consists of AOL’s tech-oriented properties including Engadget, the Web magazine about everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics; Switched, which covers the intersection of the digital world with entertainment, sports, art, fashion and lifestyle; TUAW, the unofficial Apple weblog; and DownloadSquad, the weblog about downloadable software and other computer subjects. The AOL Technology Network ranks in the top five for tech news according to comScore Media Metrix, August 2010 data, and leads the top five in average time spent and average visits per user.
This acquisition will further AOL’s strategy to become the global leader in sourcing, creating, producing and delivering high-quality, trusted, original content to consumers. TechCrunch will remain headquartered in San Francisco, CA, as a wholly owned AOL unit. Deal terms were not disclosed.
AOL and Google Renew and Expand Global Partnership
Today : Thursday 2 September 2010
Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) and AOL Inc. (NYSE:AOL) today announced a five-year renewal and expansion of one of the largest and longest-standing partnerships in Internet history. The global alliance, which has at its core Google’s provision of search services to AOL’s content network
and properties, in exchange for a revenue-sharing arrangement between AOL and Google, will be expanded to include mobile search and YouTube.
“Today is another important step in the turnaround of AOL,” said Tim Armstrong, AOL’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “AOL users will be getting a better search and search ads experience from the best search company in the world – Google. After nearly a decade-long partnership in search, we’re looking forward to expanding our global relationship to mobile search and YouTube. All aspects of our partnership will be improved by this deal.”
“We're excited to deepen our partnership. This agreement combines Google's expertise in search and advertising with AOL's strength in online content,” said Eric Schmidt, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Google. “It's particularly exciting to see our relationship expand into video and mobile. These areas are now at the heart of users' online experiences and at the core of both of our businesses.”
The partnership includes a broad range of features that will improve and expand the products and services offered to consumers.
* Search Products: Google will provide AOL with additional features and enhancement to its leading Web search products that will improve the consumer search experience across AOL’s network of sites.
* Advertising Products: Google will provide AOL with best-in-class ad formats, giving AOL consumers a better, more relevant ad experience.
* Mobile Search: As AOL renews its focus on mobile apps and content, the companies will work together to expand the alliance to cover mobile search.
* YouTube: AOL and YouTube have agreed to a content partnership that will bring AOL’s video content to YouTube.
* Global Focus: The alliance is international in scope and will provide improved experiences to AOL’s worldwide audience.
About AOL Inc.
AOL Inc. (NYSE:AOL) is a leading global web services company with an extensive suite of brands and offerings and a substantial worldwide audience. AOL's business spans online content, products and services that the company offers to consumers, publishers and advertisers. AOL is focused on attracting and engaging consumers and providing valuable online advertising services on both AOL's owned and operated properties and third-party websites. In addition, AOL operates one of the largest Internet subscription access services in the United States, which serves as a valuable distribution channel for AOL's consumer offerings.
AOL Reports Q2 Earnings
AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL) released second quarter 2010 results today.
“In the second quarter, we continued our efforts to successfully reposition AOL for growth and the Company is getting healthier every day,” said Tim Armstrong, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Although we have much more significant goals for the future of AOL, we are pleased with this quarter’s internal and external trends.”
Summary Results* http://ih.advfn.com/p.php?pid=nmona&article=43871867&symbol=AOL
AOL to Announce Second Quarter 2010 Financial Results
AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL) today announced that it will hold its quarterly conference call to discuss second quarter 2010 financial results on Wednesday, August 4, 2010 at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time (ET). AOL will issue a press release reporting results before the conference call on Wednesday, August 4, 2010.
To listen to the call via webcast, please visit our website at http://ir.aol.com and click on the link titled “Q2 2010 AOL Inc. Earnings Conference Call” located under “Events & Presentations.” We recommend going to the website at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the webcast to register, download and install any necessary software. Instructions for accessing and registering for the webcast will be available at http://ir.aol.com beginning today. Visitors will also be able to listen to an archived copy of the webcast at http://ir.aol.com by clicking into “Events & Presentations” for up to 1 year following the event.
parties in the United States and Canada should call toll-free (866) 362-4820 and other international parties should call (617) 597-5345. The conference call is scheduled to begin promptly at its appointed time, and all participants should be on the line by then.
Replays of the conference call will be available at 11:00 a.m. (ET) on Wednesday, August 4, 2010 and run until 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Wednesday, August 18, 2010. To hear the replay, U.S. and Canadian parties should call toll-free (888) 286-8010 and other international parties should call (617) 801-6888. The access code for the replay is 61072448.
AOL Reports Q1 Earnings
http://ih.advfn.com/p.php?pid=nmona&article=42565387&symbol=AOL
AOL integrates Facebook chat with AIM
By RACHEL METZ, AP Technology Writer Rachel Metz, Ap Technology Writer Wed Feb 10, 1:38 pm ET
SAN FRANCISCO – Users of AOL's main instant-messaging service can now chat directly with friends on Facebook.
AOL Inc. said Wednesday that a new version of the AIM software connects with the chat function on Facebook's Web site, letting AIM users communicate with friends who are logged on to the social network.
The AIM user still needs a Facebook account, however, and it's the Facebook persona rather than AIM's that appears to the friend on Facebook.
Users who download the new AIM software and link it with their Facebook profile will see their AIM buddy list include online Facebook friends in a separate section.
New York-based AOL said it was making the changes as part of ongoing efforts to improve the user experience.
Excluding mobile, AIM has about 17 million users — a fraction of the more than 400 million on Facebook.
Before the rise of cell phones and social sites such as Facebook and Twitter, AIM was a pioneer in online social networking. Its instant-messaging service was one of just a few that made it easy for people to communicate instantly on the Web.
In an effort to keep users engaged on its platform more recently, AIM launched a "lifestreaming" feature last year that let users see friends' latest posts on social sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
AIM also has had arrangements with other instant-messaging services, including Google Chat, which is incorporated into Google's Gmail service and lets AIM users sign in to their accounts from the e-mail site.
AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL) released fourth-quarter 2009 results today
http://ih.advfn.com/p.php?pid=nmona&article=41376020&symbol=AOL
AOL swings to a fourth-quarter profit
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- AOL Inc. said Wednesday its fourth-quarter profit was $1.4 million, or a penny a share, compared to a loss of about $2 billion, or $18.52 a share, in the year-ago period. Earnings in the recent quarter were affected by a $107 million in restructuring costs. Revenue fell 17% to $809.7 million from $974.2 million. Analysts polled by FactSet were looking for sales of $709 million, on average. Shares of AOL closed Tuesday at $24.65.
01/29/2010 AOL Announces Date of 2010 Annual Meeting of Stockholders
AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL) announced today that it will hold its 2010 annual meeting of stockholders on Thursday, April 29, 2010 at 12:00 pm Eastern Time / 9:00 am Pacific Time. Stockholders of record as of the close of business on Thursday, March 4, 2010 will be entitled to vote at the annual meeting. More information about the meeting will be made available on http://ir.aol.com
AOL snaps up video production co for $36.5 mln 46 mins ago
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Internet company AOL Inc said on Monday it bought a video production company StudioNow Inc for $36.5 million in cash and stock to expand its technology to create original online programing.
AOL plans to fold StudioNow, which helps users create, store and manage online video, into its Seed.com, a similar service that manages a wide swath of programing from writing, to photography to video.
The Internet company, recently spun off from Time Warner Inc, is betting that original online video entertainment developed in-house will be as cheap and lure as many as viewers and advertisers as shows licensed from TV and Hollywood studios.
Yahoo and IAC/InteractiveCorp are each pursuing the same strategy.
AOL also said its chief technology officer Ted Cahall resigned and that it is seeking a replacement.
It also named Jeff Reynar head of technology for engineering and products in New York, where he will be in charge of AOL's new New York-based technology center.
Reynar co-founded DBT Labs, a social search service where he was CTO. Before DBT he spent four and a half years at search company Google.
01/25/2010 AOL Names Jeff Reynar to Lead New Technology Center in New York
AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL) today announced that Jeff Reynar has joined the company as Head of Technology for Engineering and Products in New York. In this new role, Reynar will build out and manage AOL’s New York Technology Center and will focus on innovation for AOL’s content business and lead AOL’s engineering efforts in New York
Reynar, 40, is the co-founder of DBT Labs, a company that built a social search service, where he was chief technology officer. Prior to DBT Labs, Reynar spent four-and-a-half years at Google, first as a product manager and then as an engineering manager. He was responsible for co-founding and leading an internal startup team focused on new approaches to search including Google Squared, an experimental search tool that gathers facts from the Web and presents them in an organized collection, and Google Blog Search, among other innovations. Reynar also led the Search UI team in New York that was responsible for much of the search results page on google.com. He previously spent nearly five years at Microsoft where he was a lead program manager on the Authoring Services team that was responsible for Word
“Jeff is a hands-on technology leader who is experienced in software engineering, people and product management as well as applied research. AOL was founded on a belief that behind great consumer experiences is great engineering, and Jeff is precisely the type of all-star we need to identify, recruit and foster talent as we build out our New York Technology Center,” said AOL CEO and Chairman, Tim Armstrong
“This is an incredible opportunity to build a team in New York that will work on products that reach tens of millions of consumers,” said Reynar. “AOL’s strategy – content, advertising and communications – presents enormous opportunities. I’m excited by the prospect of finding engineers here and bringing new, young engineering talent to New York City to develop products that will make a tangible difference to consumers. New York is the media capital of the world and bringing more engineering into the content business will make the Internet even more useful than it is today.” As AOL focuses on building world-class platforms for the Web, the company is expanding its engineering talent with the announcement of the New York Technology Center. The company is also launching a search for a new global Chief Technology Officer. Ted Cahall, the company’s current CTO, has decided to move on from AOL and will be transitioning the company to a new CTO. Currently the company has engineering and product development hubs in Dulles, Virginia; Mountain View and San Francisco, California; Bangalore, India; Dublin, Ireland, and Tel Aviv, Israel as well as a few additional remote locations in other parts of the U.S. and is aggressively expanding engineering at these centers
“We want to be known as a place where world-class engineering drives world-class results for our company and the consumers and partners we serve,” said Armstrong. “That’s why we are expanding our technology organization and making it easier for us to maximize geographically-centered teams focused on specific products and hire world- class engineering resources in multiple locations across the globe. The result will be a global technology organization focused on innovation and execution on a global scale.” Reynar is a graduate of the University of Delaware, and received his Ph.D. in Computer and Information Science from the University of Pennsylvania
Separately today, AOL announced an acquisition focused on accelerating the company’s investment in content technology and platforms. The acquisition of StudioNow Inc., the premier online platform for quality video creation and distribution, will allow AOL to integrate a fully functional video creation platform into its newly-launched content management system, Seed.com
About AOL AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL) is a leading global Web services company with an extensive suite of brands and offerings and a substantial worldwide audience. AOL’s business spans online content, products and services that the company offers to consumers, publishers and advertisers. AOL is focused on attracting and engaging consumers and providing valuable online advertising services on both AOL’s owned and operated properties and third-party websites. In addition, AOL operates one of the largest Internet subscription access services in the United States, which serves as a valuable distribution channel for AOL’s consumer offerings
01/19/2010 @ 9:39AM AOL to Announce Fourth Quarter 2009 Financial Results
AOL Inc. (NYSE:AOL) today announced that it will host its quarterly conference call to discuss fourth quarter 2009 financial results on Wednesday, February 3, 2010 at 8:30 am Eastern Time (ET). AOL will issue a press release reporting results before the conference call on Wednesday, February 3, 2010
To listen to the call via webcast, please visit our website at http://ir.aol.com and click on the “AOL’s Fourth Quarter Earnings Call” link under “Investors Events.” We recommend going to the website at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the webcast to register and download and install any necessary software. Instructions for accessing and registering for the webcast will be available at http://ir.aol.com beginning today. Visitors will also be able to listen to an archived copy of the webcast at http://ir.aol.com for one year following the event
About AOL AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL) is a leading global Web services company with an extensive suite of brands and offerings and a substantial worldwide audience. AOL’s business spans online content, products and services that the company offers to consumers, publishers and advertisers. AOL is focused on attracting and engaging consumers and providing valuable online advertising services on both AOL’s owned and operated properties and third-party websites. In addition, AOL operates one of the largest Internet subscription access services in the United States, which serves as a valuable distribution channel for AOL’s consumer offerings
Currently, AOL is trading near the $25 level. This region previously acted as resistance, but it now seems to have switched roles -- the $25 neighborhood has provided a floor for AOL throughout the week.
-posted by Elizabeth Harrow
1/15/2010 2:42 PM
Realize this isn't a hot/interesting stock but volunteered to be moderator.
Will be modifying iBox in the future. Maybe Google will buy AOL someday. LOL.
AOL initiated equal weight, $30 target, at BarCap
Dec. 22, 2009, 6:09 a.m. EST
TEL AVIV (MarketWatch) -- AOL Inc., the New York Web-services provider, was initiated equal weight with a $30 price target at Barclays Capital. Analysts Douglas Anmuth and Ronald V. Josey said in a report dated Tuesday that AOL's "[current] valuation appears attractive." But AOL "also has structural challenges related to the declining access business and user metrics, and its strategy of differentiation through content creation and more vertical sites will be difficult in an increasingly competitive online advertising space," the analysts wrote. AOL shares closed on Monday at $23.28. So the price target indicates 29% upside potential.
AOL in talks with Russian investment firm on ICQ
Sun Dec 13, 6:56 pm ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) – AOL is in talks to sell its ICQ instant-messaging service to Russian investment firm Digital Sky Technologies, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter.
According to the report, the discussions are still in the early phase and AOL has reached out to other parties. The value of the sale could be between $200 million and $300 million, the Journal said.
A spokeswoman for AOL declined to comment on the story. A spokeswoman for Digital Sky could not be immediately reached for comment.
Would think technology mutual funds would buy AOL.
That would create buying pressure.
0f course they did.....AOL was just a name....the phone companys had already the infrastructure by way of phone numbers to dial...thats all....btw:the bigger joke was bill gates taking a bunch of freeware batch files off of bulletan boards putting them in a zip folder and selling it to IBM
I hope TWX thought of that & made smart decision.
cherr,
When TW bought AOL I laughed. All it was was a 50 dollar piece of software they bought for 100 billion american presidents portraits in old technology of "dial up service" when dsl and cable were coming on line. AOL will be a penny stock. The shorters will come in hard and heavy imo...later
could be interesting
$ 23.26 -0.41 (-1.73%) Volume: 5.15 m 10:48 AM EST Dec 10, 2009
Date Open High Low Close Volume Chg %Chg Close
12/9/09 0.00 0.00 0.00 23.67 10,100 0.17 0.72% 23.67
12/8/09 24.25 24.25 23.12 23.50 913,777 -0.79 -3.25% 23.50
12/7/09 24.75 24.75 24.05 24.29 781,075 -0.21 -0.86% 24.29
12/4/09 24.10 24.75 23.90 24.50 560,057 0.43 1.79% 24.50
12/3/09 24.00 24.15 23.85 24.07 1,016,053 0.07 0.29% 24.07
12/2/09 24.81 24.81 23.50 24.00 1,338,298 -0.58 -2.36% 24.00
12/1/09 25.45 25.50 24.30 24.58 1,398,605 -0.02 -0.08% 24.58
11/30/09 23.70 24.75 23.65 24.60 1,663,307 1.60 6.96% 24.60
11/27/09 22.75 23.12 22.01 23.00 547,020 0.00 0.00% 23.00
11/25/09 22.75 23.12 22.01 23.00 546,920 -2.07 -8.26% 23.00
11/24/09 27.00 27.00 25.07 25.07 2,247,233 25.07 0.00% 25.07
Looks like a good short sell.
AOL breaking free from Time Warner.. will trade under AOL. Good investment?
Salon City, Inc. Announces Filing of Form 10-SB Registration Statement With the SEC
Tuesday July 17, 9:30 am ET
WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Salon City, Inc. (OTC:SLON - News) announced on July 16, 2007 that it has filed a Form 10-SB registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to become a fully reporting company. Filing this form is one of the necessary steps SCI must take to list its common stock for trading on the NASD OTC Bulletin Board.
ADVERTISEMENT
The complete Form 10-SB registration statement, as filed, can be accessed by visiting http://www.sec.gov/ and completing a "Search for Company Filings" under the Filings & Forms header on the front page. The Form 10-SB filing is subject to review and comment by the SEC. As a fully reporting company, SCI will be required to file annual reports on Form 10-KSB, quarterly reports on Form 10-KSB, and reports for unusual events on Form 8-K.
Steven Casciola, President and CEO of SCI said, "We made company history today for hundreds of SLON shareholders. I am truly honored to make this announcement because the filing represents a major achievement for Salon City. It will benefit our investors with dissemination of financial information that will be easily accessible, and it will provide them with updated reports with regards to the Company's financial position and performance, both regularly and on a periodic basis."
Once approved by the SEC, SCI expects to access a much greater sphere of capital markets. That, in turn, can strengthen SCI's plans to expand the Salon City brand to consumers worldwide.
Salon City aims to reach a national exchange such as the NASDAQ Small Cap Market. The OTCBB "reporting company" status is a prerequisite to be eligible for NASDAQ.
Salon City Magazine, America's newest lifestyle publication published by Salon City, Inc., is now nationally distributed by Time Warner Retail, a Time Warner Company (NYSE:TWX - News), and internationally by Kable Distribution Services, an AmRep company (NYSE:AXR - News), in 30 countries around the world.
For more information on the Company, please visit www.saloncity.com or send an e-mail to SLON's Investor Relations Department at info@saloncity.com. A weekly conference call is scheduled Thursday, 4 PM ET. (605-725-1900, Code: 010405)
What happened to the volatility in Time Warner?
Posted Jul 13th 2007 4:00PM by Jon Ogg
Filed under: Time Warner (TWX), Comcast Cl'A' (CMCSA), Time Warner Cable (TWC)
If you went from summer 2006 into early 2007 in Time Warner Inc. (NYSE:TWX), you got to see one hell of a ride for an already-established media behemoth.
You got to see AOL transition from paid and private into a service that was free and open. It even got to keep many of its U.S. dial-up paid subscribers, while it sold off all of its international operations in Europe. You got to finally see Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) become its own tracking stock after the Adelphia bankruptcy asset acquisitions between it and Comcast Corp. (NYSE: CMCSA). It even got to punt some of its unwanted magazine units. The last issue that was a huge boom for shareholders was the ongoing stock repurchase program that was pressed for by legendary corporate raider Carl Icahn.
After the first of the year, Time Warner shares hit $23, but that hasn't been seen since then. In fact, over the last 90-days, shares have been essentially stuck in a range of $20.50 on the low-end and under $22 on the high-end. What gives?What has happened is that the first "easy money" round of the transition has occurred. Now the company is still in the "will it, won't it?" stage of whether it will sell more Time Warner Cable shares or make strategic acquisitions. Or not. The company is also on the far side of six months where it will have to decide what to do about monetizing its AOL assets. The company has wanted to keep AOL and has wanted to maintain control over Time Warner Cable, so the most obvious answer is for a partial spin-off just like in "Cable" where it essentially creates a tracking stock.
Interestingly enough, options trading spiked today when 15,900 of the JULY 07 $20 CALLS were bought and that was after the open interest was already listed as 47,226. The open interest for the JULY 07 $20 PUTS is listed as 60,243, so there are still many shares hedged in case there is a drop. Unfortunately, unless there is an outside event these options may be stuck because Time Warner earnings will not come out until August 1, 2007.
The average analyst target with buy/outperform targets still has a $25+ target on Time Warner Inc. It looks like shares have just gone dormant after a huge move and ahead of the next transitionary wave. We'll be watching the options trading out to August expiration next week and thereafter to see if any anticipations start getting priced into the stock.
Jon Ogg can be reached at jonogg@247wallst.com; he does not own securities in the companies he covers.
http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/07/13/what-happened-to-the-volatility-in-time-warner/
NEWS:Time Warner to Broadcast Gay Television,
Feb 09, 2004 (The Business Press - Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News via
COMTEX) -- A Palm Springs media company that specializes in programming for gays
and lesbians will launch a cable television network.
The Triangle Television Network, a wholly owned subsidiary of Triangle
Multi-Media Limited, will begin broadcasting within 90 days, Chief Executive
Officer Frank Olsen said Feb. 4.
TTN, as the network will be known, will be available to about 10,000 cable
television companies throughout the United States and Puerto Rico for $2 a month
for each subscriber, Olsen said.
Time Warner Cable television has agreed to make the signal available to any of
its local system operators that want to broadcast it, Olsen said.
The fledgling network must persuade other cable carriers, large and small, to
pick up TTN's signal.
"We're going to throw sand up in the air and hope the wind catches it," said
Olsen, who has spent 40 years working in radio and television. "It's a slow
business and it can take a while for things to catch on, but we think this can
work. The cable networks can send the signal to whoever wants it without
offending anyone.
"I'll be happy if we get one subscriber," Olsen laughed.
Triangle Television will employ six people to start, and has spent about $6
million developing the network.
Triangle Television could spend another $2 million before it begins broadcasting
its signal by satellite.
Triangle Network will broadcast taped gay athletic contests and fashion shows,
among other programs.
The network will broadcast 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but much of its
programming will be repeated several times, standard practice among most
specialized cable television networks.
Olsen declined to discuss advertising rates, but selling advertising on Triangle
Network could be difficult, he said.
"I worked for a black radio station during the 1960s, and a lot of companies
didn't want to buy [advertising] with us," he said. "This could be the same
thing. Advertisers don't want to pick up one gay person and lose two
Christians."
Triangle Multi-Media formerly owned and operated two radio stations in Seattle
that broadcast gay and lesbian programming.
After selling those stations three years ago, Triangle has concentrated on
developing its television venture.
The business was propped up by investors, but the going has been rough, Olsen
said. "We've made a lot of mistakes. We rented buildings that were too big and
we hired too many people.
"But we're going to get this done. I'm 100 percent sure we're going to get this
started."
Palm Springs, with a history of tolerance toward gays and lesbians, is a logical
place for a gay-oriented television network to operate, said Milton Jones,
publisher of Desert Publications Inc. and the Jones Agency, a public relations
firm.
Jones is leasing space to Triangle Broadcasting in his building at 303 No.
Indian Canyon Drive.
By Joseph Ascenzi
To see more of The Business Press, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to
http://www.thebizpress.com
(c) 2004, The Business Press, San Bernardino, Calif. Distributed by Knight
Ridder/Tribune Business News.
Neil, here is the link to the new board. See if you can post there now.
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/board.asp?board_id=2136
ok...going to create it now.
Let's call it "My MacGuys". It looks like you can put a description, so maybe some info on the company and that the board will offer tips for keeping your Mac working well and/or repair tips.
Neil
Be patient ... we'll work it out. Tell me what you want the board to be called. I will create it.
IMPORTANT: If it will let you, try to create it as a FREE BOARD. If you still have troubles, tell me what you want the board to be called and I will create it for you.
I'm not allowed to do that either! I guess I'm not allowed to do much if I'm not premier...
Neil
See the menu board at the top? Click on BOARDS.
Then scroll down and click on CREATE A NEW BOARD.
Yay, I can post now! Okay, so can I now create my board?
Neil
Hello Neil!!!
You should be able to post on this board!
What a difference less than two weeks can make!
I just posted the following on the AOL Board at Raging Bull!....
http://ragingbull.lycos.com/mboard/boards.cgi?board=AOL&read=164116
Last Trade Intraday $15.61 up .21
AOL is off to another strong start today!
Trying for a grub.
Message #677776
EDIT: Way toooo slow! LOL!
Please supply the URL Link! URL!
MSNBC Breaking News-AOL Time Warner says Steve Case will step down as chairman of the company following the shareholders' meeting in May
Doesn't anybody else on IHUB own AOL stock??
AOL Time Warner CFO eyeing cable IPO in 2nd qtr
NEW YORK, Jan 9 (Reuters) - A top AOL Time Warner Inc. executive told investors on Thursday the world's largest media company hoped to spin off its cable television operations during the second-quarter as part of its effort to begin paring down its weighty debt load.
Under ideal conditions, analysts predicted AOL Time Warner would spin off a stake between 25 and 30 percent of Time Warner Cable, the nation's No. 2 cable operator, raising about $6 billion.
AOL Time Warner Chief Financial Officer Wayne Pace, speaking at the Salomon Smith Barney entertainment conference, said the company was aiming to close this month its agreement to buy Comcast Corp.'s 27.6 percent stake in Time Warner Entertainment for about $9 billion.
"We are looking for a second-quarter initial public offering for the cable company," Pace told investors.
Spinning off its cable operations is part of the company's plans to expand its presence in the sector. The public offering will give the debt-laden company currency and the ability to acquire other cable rivals or take stakes in them.
AOL's $106.2 billion purchase of Time Warner was partially driven by the desire to gain access to cable lines to push high-speed Internet services.
Proceeds from that sale would likely be used to help finance the TWE transaction and pay down AOL Time Warner's
massive debt load, which rests at more than $26 billion. "The big question is, can that much cable paper be floated
in the market?" said CIBC analyst Mike Gallant. "That is going to be a little bit questionable, but this is a very clean set
of assets."
Indeed, the world's largest media company has maintained a running dialogue with several investment banks about handling the possible initial public offering during the past few months, sources said.
It remains too early to project which banks might ultimately be selected as lead bookrunners for the flotation. But the competition for the job is fierce, sources said, since it would provide a healthy dose of fees for the winning institutions, which are still smarting from last year's moribund IPO market.
Fees for handling an IPO that size generally run between 3 percent and 4 percent, meaning a payday of about $200 million for a $6 billion IPO.
That has left several banks jockeying to position themselves as lead bookrunners, including Bank of America Corp.
and Bear Stearns Cos Inc., two institutions with close ties to the New York-based company, sources said.
Bank of America has maintained a long relationship with AOL Time Warner. Last Fall, it stepped in to help value the TWE stake then owned by AT&T Corp., which was purchased by Comcast last year. The deal to unwind a complicated cable and content partnership paved the way to spin-off Time Warner Cable into a publicly traded entity, analysts said.
Bank of America is also one of AOL Time Warner's largest lenders. Last July it helped arrange two new credit lines
totaling $10 billion for the company, then in April helped sell $6 billion of investment-grade debt.
However, the Charlotte, North Carolina-based bank is a second-tier player among IPO managers, having ranked 15th among U.S. bookrunners last year, according to Thomson Securities Data.
Bear Stearns also helped value the TWE stake, and its bankers helped advise the company on its stronger-than-expected bid for AT&T's broadband unit last year. But like Bank of America, it is not considered a major IPO book manager.
Other competitors include Morgan Stanley, which served as Time Warner's primary underwriter for public debt prior to the merger with AOL, sources said. Salomon Smith Barney, the top U.S. IPO book manager during 2002, may also have an inside edge because AOL Time Warner's in-house M&A advisor, Kate Brown, was a former banker there.
Media reports have also suggested Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. were competing for lead
bookrunner status, as well.
AOL shares jumped following Pace's comments and closed up
45 cents, or 3.24 percent, at $14.33 on the New York Stock
Exchange.
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AOL INC. (AOL) www.aol.com/
Corporate Information corp.aol.com/corporate-information
AOL’s mission is: To inform, entertain and connect the world.
Stock Ticker: AOL common stock is traded on the NYSE under the symbol “AOL”.
For more information, please click here.
Our Brand
"The new AOL’s brand identity is one consistent logo revealed by ever-changing images".
Overview:
AOL is a leading global Web services company with an extensive suite of more than 80 premium branded and niche content sites. Approximately 80 percent of AOL’s content is originally produced by top editorial talent, including nine Pulitzer Prize Winners, seven Baseball Hall of Fame Voters, three Heisman Trophy Voters and two Pro Football Hall of Fame Voters. AOL has leading offerings in content, advertising and communications. The company is focused on building the highest quality content for consumers and the best products and services for its advertising and publishing partners, AOL operates the largest domestic advertising network, measured by reach.
Explore Our Brands
Content Brands:
AOL’s content brands include AOL.com, Moviefone, FanHouse, ParentDish, Asylum, Spinner, DailyFinance, BlackVoices, AOL Latino, PoliticsDaily, Engadget, WalletPop, Patch. and many others.
Content Sites
AOL owns and operates more than 80 content sites covering topics about which people are passionate. Our talented journalists produce content that is accurate, intriguing, impartial and fair.
Sixty months in a row and counting. That's how long Advertising.com has topped comScore's ranks of ad networks, reaching nearly 91 percent of the U.S. online population. And we have no intention of stepping down.
But reach is only one measure of a network's power. Advertising.com couples its scale with the most advanced optimization technology in the industry, AdLearn, making it possible to target any section of that massive audience with remarkable precision.
AdLearn analyzes your campaign's performance in real-time, and updates ad placements every hour based on your objectives, whether you're after clicks, conversions, volume or any other metric.
If your customers are online, they're on our network. We can help you – and your brand – find them.
advertising.aol.com/advertiser-solutions/advertisingcom
History:
AOL will mark its 25th anniversary in 2010.
The company was founded in 1985 as Quantum Computer Services and launched its first online service – Q-LINK – on the Commodore 64 the same year. The name “America Online” was originally proposed in an employee contest and the company officially became America Online, Inc., commonly called AOL, in 1991. In 2006, the company officially changed its name to AOL and began offering its content and services free of charge to Web users.
The AOL Running Man was introduced in 1996 when the icon was featured in the sign on process for the AOL service and then became the icon for AIM in 1997. In 2009, the Running Man was inducted into the Madison Avenue Advertising Walk of Fame and was also recognized in the Advertising Icon Museum.
corp.aol.com/corporate-information
Executives:
Tim Armstrong is AOL’s Chairman and CEO, responsible for setting the company’s strategy and overseeing the business and day-to-day operations. Prior to joining AOL in 2009, Armstrong was in charge of Google’s North American and Latin American advertising sales, marketing and operations teams.
Armstrong joined AOL in April 2009 from Google, where he oversaw the company’s North American and Latin American advertising sales, marketing and operations teams as President of The Americas Operations and worked with some of the world's most widely recognized brands and advertising agencies. His tenure at Google covered the scaled launch of Google's advertising efforts and defined many of the operating structures that supported Google's global expansion. Armstrong was a member of Google's Operating Committee, the company’s executive team.
Prior to joining Google, Armstrong was Vice President of Sales and Strategic Partnerships for Snowball.com. Before that, he served as Director of Integrated Sales and Marketing at Starwave's and Disney's ABC/ESPN Internet Ventures, working across the companies' Internet, TV, radio and print properties. At the start of his career, Armstrong co-founded and ran a newspaper based in Boston, Mass. and later joined IDG, where he launched its first consumer Internet magazine, I-Way.
Armstrong is on the boards of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), the Advertising Council and the Advertising Research Foundation, and is a trustee at Connecticut College and Lawrence Academy.
He is a graduate of Connecticut College, with a double major in economics and sociology.
To learn more about AOL’s senior management, please click here.
Board of Directors:
AOL’s Board of Directors includes leaders in Internet, media, entertainment and marketing, as well as finance. To learn more, please click here.
Headquarters
AOL Inc.
770 Broadway
New York, NY 10003
(212) 652-6400
Offices:
In addition to New York City, AOL has offices in Dulles, Va., Mountain View, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago, Boston, Baltimore, and Detroit, among other locations. Internationally, office locations include Toronto, Hamburg, Dublin, Paris, London, Bangalore and Tel Aviv.
Latest Investor News: corp.aol.com/investor
"AOL’s business spans online content, products and services for consumers, publishers and advertisers. We’re one of the largest producers of quality digital content and one of the world’s leading sellers of premium display advertising.
Shareholder Inquiries
AOL Investor Relations: 1-877-AOL-1010 (1-877-265-1010) Send email.
Nasdaq.com: AOL INC. www.nasdaq.com/asp/quotes_sec.asp
Securities and Exchange Commission: AOL INC. tinyurl.com/y9ow4gx
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