Im not sure this has been posted so forgive me if it has already.
(COMTEX) B: AOL Membership Surpasses Historic 20 Million Milestone
B: AOL Membership Surpasses Historic 20 Million Milestone
DULLES, Va., Dec 17, 1999 (BUSINESS WIRE) --
America Online Commits $20 Million toward Digital Divide Efforts
To Help Everyone Benefit from Interactive Medium
America Online, Inc. [NYSE: AOL], the world's leading interactive
services company, today announced that membership of its AOL service
now exceeds the historic 20 million milestone.
Demonstrating AOL's global leadership and the power of the brand, the
service has added 10 million subscribers over just the past two years.
Put another way: twice as many people belong to AOL as watch the USA,
ESPN, Nickelodeon, MTV, TBS, CNN, and CNBC cable networks -- combined
-- during prime-time. And if AOL were a country, it would rank 43rd
among the United Nations' 188 member countries.
During its two-year climb from 10 million to 20 million members, AOL
built its momentum by:
-- Introducing its popular AOL 4.0 and AOL 5.0 software;
-- Expanding to serve consumers in over 15 countries and in 7
languages;
-- Achieving an annual run rate of $1.5 billion in advertising and
commerce revenues; and
-- Extending its "AOL Anywhere" strategy to mobile devices and
high-speed broadband networks.
Steve Case, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of America Online,
said: "As AOL reaches this important milestone at the start of the
Internet Century, we value and celebrate the 20 million AOL members who
are helping us to make the interactive medium a central and valuable
part of everyday life. Our fast-growing AOL community is creating an
increasingly dynamic online experience for all of our members, and
leading the growth of this exciting medium around the world. We are
gratified that 20 million families are now using AOL, and we look
forward to a more connected society where millions more will come
online."
Bob Pittman, America Online's President and Chief Operating Officer,
said: "We are proud that AOL is becoming one of the most respected and
best-known global brands -- synonymous with convenience, ease-of-use,
and cyberspace's very best interactive experience. We are continuing to
expand and enhance our member experience with new features,
functionality, content and e-commerce opportunities, and we are
committed to making AOL available anywhere on all emerging interactive
platforms."
The Company also announced that it will commit $20 million towards its
efforts focused on ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to
benefit from the interactive medium. Through the AOL Foundation, and
supported by the volunteer activities of AOL employees, the Company
said it would work to boost the effectiveness of the leading Digital
Divide programs already underway.
Mr. Case said: "As we build this medium, we recognize our
responsibility to help ensure that nobody is left behind. The
commitment of $20 million for Digital Divide programs represents a
significant opportunity for all of us at America Online to give back to
the community and do our part to help ensure the benefits of the
Internet revolution are widely available to everyone. We will combine
the resources of the company with the skills and enthusiasm of our
employees to boost the effectiveness of the best ideas and programs
operating across the country to bridge the Digital Divide."
America Online's growth and success around the world also are reflected
in recent recognition and honors. Earlier this week, The Wall Street
Journal named America Online's stock as the "Biggest Gainer of the
'90s" with a nearly 80,000% gain. As its membership has grown, so has
America Online's stockholder population. Today, the Company is one of
the most widely owned in the world, with its investor base increasing
approximately eight-fold in just the last fiscal year to more than 2.1
million shareholders.
In addition, The Financial Times of London has named America Online the
sixth-most respected company in North America. And in a recent research
"Survey of Marketing Leaders: On Path to 2005," by The Myer's Group, a
leading New York City-based market research firm, America Online was
named the most sought-after media company in today's
advertising/marketing world, finishing ahead of 46 traditional and
interactive media companies.
Founded in 1985, America Online, Inc., based in Dulles, Virginia, is
the world's leader in interactive services, Web brands, Internet
technologies, and e-commerce services. America Online, Inc. operates
two worldwide Internet services: America Online, with more than 20
million members, and CompuServe, with approximately 2 million members;
several leading Internet brands including ICQ, AOL Instant Messenger
and Digital City, Inc.; the Netscape Netcenter and AOL.COM portals; the
Netscape Navigator and Communicator browsers; AOL MovieFone, the
nation's # 1 movie listing guide and ticketing service; and Spinner
Networks and NullSoft, Inc., leaders in Internet music. Through its
strategic alliance with Sun Microsystems, the Company develops and
offers easy-to-deploy, end-to-end e-commerce and enterprise solutions
for companies operating in the Net Economy.
Copyright (C) 1999 Business Wire. All rights reserved.
Distributed via COMTEX.
-0-
CONTACT: Wendy Goldberg
America Online, Inc.
703-265-2359
OR
Nicholas Graham
America Online, Inc
703-265-1746
WEB PAGE: businesswire.com
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TELECOMMUNICATIONS
INTERNET
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