RSSGoogle, Comcast to Bid for AOL Portal?
By Ed Oswald | Published October 13, 2005, 10:34 AM
Google and Comcast are reportedly in talks over a possible joint purchase of a portion of the AOL business, several media outlets reported late Wednesday. According to at least one source, the value of the deal could be worth as much as $5 billion.
The search giant apparently approached Comcast last week about a joint deal. Discussions were ongoing throughout the summer between the three companies, but were very preliminary.
The talks seem to be revolving around a purchase of the AOL.com portal, as well as solidifying Google's position as the default search engine for the AOL service. The deal could also be an attempt by Google to spoil talks currently underway between Microsoft's MSN division and AOL over MSN's search technologies.
The two companies would own half of the Web properties of AOL, the Wall Street Journal reported, with Time Warner owning the controlling stake. However, other reports indicate that Google and Comcast may be interested in a stake in the entire company, which would give them more say in day-to-day business.
The deal seems more critical to Google than it does to Comcast. The search engine stands to lose premium placement on the AOL service, as well as a loss of a major AdWords customer. AdWords is Google's paid search advertising service.
However, Microsoft's negotiations with AOL may be further along, Reuters wire service reported. Information obtained by BetaNews on the matter earlier in the week would seem to verify this is indeed the case.
If the deal with Microsoft does go through, it would likely more revolve around search, with MSN's adCenter service possibly a key player in the deal. The service recently launched in the United States as a pilot program after successful tests in Singapore and France.
Microsoft and Time Warner are not commenting on the situation to the press, and Google in a statement dismissed the story as rumor. "Google and AOL have a healthy global partnership and AOL remains a valued partner," the company said.
And you can be sure that the CEO of Google ,although putting himself in a "god like" disguise, his s***e without doubt must stink!
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|Google is going to th Dark side people.. like Yahoo, its diversifying into too many arears.. In years to come they will suffer the same fate as yahoo who now have 1% of the search engine results . Also, with google looking to open a paypal like store "gogole purchases" the big "Monopoly" question is sure to raise its head as time goes on.. you have been informed!
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|Will be funny if Google owns the world in a few years. Just watch them buy out MS's web division and release 'Google Explorer'. ;)
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|That is the point in which I would use only Linux and Open Source.
If Google was the only thing to use ......I'd quit using computers.
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|Google associating with Sun?
And now AOL?
Maybe they are just a flash in the pan.
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|I'll keep saying it....
Stay away from Google. It's all a front. They are EVIL to the core.
I also use http://search.msn.com and prefer it now.
One thing is for sure, Microsoft does a good job with most of the stuff they do.
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|Hello,
I am a new comer to the internet and 63 years young, but the sort of comment I am reading from all the pages I visit which invite comment seem to reflect a very infantile behaviour which belongs to the 5-10 year olds (perhapes they are in this age group) in other words constructive
comments please!!!!!!!
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|LOL! Crack in the coffee???
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|Welcome to BetaNews! ;0)
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|I never, ever thought I'd say this but MSN actually gives me better results than Google...
Damnit, I feel dirty now.
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|I think the fight between MSN search and Google will be much more equal than people think.
True, Google has a slew of PhDs, but Microsoft Research, particularly the area devoted to search, has a Fields Medalist, a Von Neuman Medalist and a slew of PhDs. Nothing to sneeze at.
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|MSFT would be better as AOLs default search engine. I find why to much junk with google now, ever since they went public. All google cares about now is them selfs, and not the public.
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|I believe a company has to expand in order to gain profits , i don't share the opinion that a company has to do what it was supposed to do at first. in other words companies should explore other alternatives and this in this way technology will evolve in the future.. competition is the key
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