Archive: October, 2006

In an interesting interview with the Sunday Telegraph (UK), AOL chief executive Jonathan Miller openly muses about the eventual separation of AOL from the Time Warner media empire. Having sold its European broadband businesses in the UK, Germany and France, Time Warner intends to focus AOL’s energies on providing email, web search and instant messenger services.

The article states that the Time Warner board is actively considering selling AOL to the highest bidder quoting Miller saying, “It’s possible, going forward. It’s not a discussion that Time Warner has a problem with understanding or engaging in. Until we were on this present course, it wasn’t even the right discussion. Now it becomes more interesting.”

AOL is likely going to cease operating as a separate entity. Miller notes a rival would almost certainly purchase AOL. “I don’t believe there is a scenario whereby we could have an independent AOL. I think we would be bought as fast as we could draw up the papers,” he is quoted saying.