I use Netscape at home and MSFT at work. Totally oblivious to the difference. I won't be switching to AOL.
Another company to benefit from the AOL/Netscape merger is Excite according to TheStreet.com
Not only does AOL own a 14% stake in Excite, but Netscape also teamed up with Excite to give it a prominent space on its Netcenter site. The two-year, $70 million deal took effect in May 1998, leaving another 18 months before it expires. Should AOL buy Netscape, the Excite deal could keep on keeping on or get nixed. Either way, analysts say, Excite will benefit.
"If AOL is successful in driving more traffic to Netcenter, Excite would make a lot more money off of it," says Michael Wallace, an analyst at Warburg Dillon Read. "Excite will get more than they originally thought they would." When the agreement ends in May 2000, Excite has the rights to registered users that signed up for Netcenter. The more users AOL pushes to register with Netcenter, the more customers Excite leaves the deal with in 2000.
That would be good news. As Excite noted in a 10-Q filing last week, the co-branding partnership with Netscape has been disappointing. Since it started in June, "the actual delivery of impressions has been significantly below expectations."
And if Excite executives aren't happy with the arrangement, they can end the contract with Netscape and get back a prorated amount, about $60 million right now. But, says Wallace, "My guess is they'll stick with it." Wallace, who has a buy rating on Excite, says his firm has no underwriting relationship with the company.
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