Audience-focused online media owner
On January 1st 2007, AOL UK completed the sale of its ISP Access business to Carphone Warehouse. This resulted in AOL UK becoming a fully audience-focused online media owner. However under our agreement with Carphone Warehouse, we still have access to the more than 2 million Broadband members, plus an additional 1 million mytalktalk.co.uk users. So for our advertisers, not much has changed, our audience opportunities have just got even better!
On January 1st 2007, AOL UK completed the sale of its ISP Access business to Carphone Warehouse leaving the company facing the future as a fully audience-focussed online media owner. In many ways, AOL UK is now a radically different entity but for UK advertisers, much remains exactly as it was, plus our audience opportunities have become even stronger.
What has changed?
On January 1st, AOL's 2m broadband and dial-up customers were transferred to Carphone Warehouse taking with them their monthly subscriptions. This leaves AOL UK purely as a web portal, a publisher and a developer of online tools and content.
What remains the same?
- Recognising the trust and heritage that is implicit within the AOL, Carphone Warehouse continues to offer broadband services using the AOL brand. AOL broadband customers will continue to enjoy the same services enjoyed in previous years.
- Carphone Warehouse also acknowledged AOL's expertise in online content and advertising sales, contracting AOL UK to provide tools, services, editorial content and to continue to sell advertising on the AOL client software, through which ISP customers access the Internet.
So for advertisers, AOL continues to produce content and services for, and sell advertising on both AOL.co.uk our web portal and the AOL client; an audience numbering more than 6 million.
What's new?
- Under the sale agreement, AOL UK will also provide editorial tools, content and advertising sales for Carphone Warehouse’s TalkTalk portal (Mytalktalk.co.uk). This is now a mirror image of AOL and is being sold by AOL UK.
- Shortly in 2007, TalkTalk broadband subscribers will also have their own client software, again a mirror image of the AOL client.
How many users is that?
Through AOL UK, advertisers have access to the more than 6m highly engaged audience that we have always been able to offer but with the addition of 1 million mytalktalk.co.uk users (and shortly, advertisers will be able to reach an estimated half a million TalkTalk Broadband customers via the new TalkTalk client.
In summary, Carphone Warehouse has acquired ISP subscribers while AOL UK and crucially our advertisers have gained access to a broader audience under the AOL/TalkTalk umbrella.