There’s been some speculation lately in the tech community that Verizon may acquire AOL – and this week that speculation was proven to be correct as Verizon announced it has purchased AOL for $4.4 billion, or $40 per share.
Verizon’s vision is to provide customers with a premium digital experience based on a global multiscreen network platform. This acquisition supports our strategy to provide a cross-screen connection for consumers, creators and advertisers to deliver that premium customer experience.
AOL has once again become a digital trailblazer, and we are excited at the prospect of charting a new course together in the digitally connected world. At Verizon, we’ve been strategically investing in emerging technology, including Verizon Digital Media Services and OTT, that taps into the market shift to digital content and advertising. AOL’s advertising model aligns with this approach, and the advertising platform provides a key tool for us to develop future revenue streams.
As far as things look right now there aren’t supposed to be much changes to the AOL portfolio such as Huffington Post, TechCrunch, Engadget & others – so it’ll stand to see what this purchase ends up doing and the advertising doors that this will open up for Verizon.