Glenn--Very astute observation.
I was referring to the AOL earnings press release where I don't recall seeing it mentioned. I believe there is also an article featuring an opinion-maker where mention is made only of AOL's new subscriber accounts as worldwide. Perhaps I should have checked the AOL filing itself. Thanks for doing that.
So, Glenn, your research shows clarity.
It means that AOL's $22 ISP business, after about five years of top in nation advertising, brought on, using rounded numbers, 8,000 new subscribers during the past 92 day period; compared to NetZero's 9,000 signup rate.
In my view, the debate is aimed at the King of the Hill, AOL's $22 monthly service, compared with NetZero's first well nationally-modeled free service. CompuServe, charging less money, should compare to NetZero like Earthlink-MindSpring, RCN and medium to smaller-sized ISPs. Remember, NetZero is the young upstart coming out of the gate while challenging the top of the line, not only the other horses in the race.
My point being NetZero, based on word of mouth, found a way to beat out The King of the Hill, AOL's historically faster-growing service. That spells solid mo-mo for NetZero and grounds for a good future! |
