BOL to be the Exclusive Bookseller for AOL and CompuServe Services in Europe
DULLES, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 16, 1998--
Two-year $13 Million Dollar Agreement is One of the Largest
Internet Online Advertising and Commerce Deals in Europe to Date
AOL Bertelsmann Europe, the leading pan-European Internet online provider
with more than 2.2 million AOL and CompuServe members, announced that it had
reached a multi-year $13 million agreement with BOL, the international
electronic commerce business of Bertelsmann, to make BOL the exclusive
bookseller for the AOL and CompuServe services in Europe.
This represents one of the largest Internet commerce and advertising
deals in Europe to date and reflects the rapid growth of the European Internet
marketplace.
Under the agreement, the BOL.com service will become upon launch the
exclusive bookseller for AOL and CompuServe members in the UK, Germany,
France, Spain, the Netherlands and Switzerland, easily accessible from
prominent positions on the propriety online services and the Web destinations
of both AOL and CompuServe in Europe.
The BOL.com service will offer thousands of titles in five languages, and
will offer AOL and CompuServe members in Europe and visitors to AOL's and
CompuServe's European Web sites access to editorial content and comprehensive
search functions to help consumers quickly and easily locate books by subject,
genre or author.
The agreement, one of the largest Internet advertising and commerce deals
in Europe, shows the attractiveness of the AOL and CompuServe brands as
powerful, pan-European platforms for advertising and marketing.
The AOL and CompuServe Europe brands, with their unparalleled size and
reach, are uniquely positioned to attract the top consumer brands to online
marketing and advertising, and to help them succeed in individual countries or
on a pan- European basis.
BOL will provide European book lovers who are AOL and CompuServe Europe
members with an engaging online book shopping experience, one that will be
specifically tailored to local consumer preferences in reading, browsing and
buying in each country.
As a result of this alliance, BOL will be able to reach a large number of
book lovers quickly, bringing the benefits of Internet book buying to European
consumers and becoming part of their everyday lives.
About AOL Bertelsmann Online Europe
AOL Bertelsmann Online Europe is a joint venture of America Online, Inc.
(NYSE:AOL), the world's leading Internet Online service with more than 16
million AOL and CompuServe members worldwide, and Bertelsmann AG, the third
largest media company worldwide with close to 60,000 employees in more than 50
countries.
With its two brands, AOL and CompuServe, the joint venture, based in
Baar, Switzerland, is the leading pan-European Internet online business. AOL
is the service for the whole family, providing its members with interactive
entertainment, information and education services while giving access to a
global online community.
CompuServe offers specialized information, large-scale databases,
matchless forums and professional communication tools that help the more
discerning audience to meet challenges in their personal and professional
lives. AOL Bertelsmann Online Europe with its two brands AOL and CompuServe
has more than 2.2 million members across Europe.
About America Online
America Online, Inc., based in Dulles, is the world's leader in branded
interactive services and content. America Online, Inc. operates two worldwide
Internet online services: America Online, with more than 14 million members;
and CompuServe, with approximately 2 million members. America Online, Inc.
also operates AOL Studios, the world's leading creator of original interactive
content.
Other branded Internet services operated by America Online, Inc. include
AOL.COM, the world's most accessed Web site from home; Digital City, Inc., the
No. 1 local content network and community guide on AOL and the Internet; AOL
NetFind, AOL's comprehensive guide to the Internet; AOL Instant Messenger, an
instant messaging tool available on both AOL and the Internet; and ICQ, an
instant communications and chat technology on the Internet.
About AOL International
AOL International, headed by Jack Davies, oversees all of AOL's and
CompuServe's international services and is responsible for extending the AOL
experience around the globe and building AOL's global community through the
development of strong partnerships in key world markets.
AOL International, with its two Internet online brands, currently serves
a combined total of over 2.6 million members outside the United States.
About BOL
BOL is the international electronic commerce business of Bertelsmann AG,
the world's third largest media company with annual sales of approximately DM
28 billion in the current business year (US $16 billion).
In its 163rd year of operation, the company defines itself as the most
international of the world's major media companies. Bertelsmann is owned by
two independent Foundations and the founder family Mohn.
The company has significant interests in all areas of media including
book, magazine and newspaper publishing, music, television, online, film and
radio. With more than 300 individual companies, Bertelsmann currently employs
nearly 60,000 people in 50 countries.
CONTACT:
Kirsten Powers, Director Public Relations
AOL International (kirstenpow@aol.com)
Tel: 1-703-265-3611
or
Christof Ehrhart, VP AOL Bertelsmann Europe Public
Relations
(EhrhartC@aol.com)
0041 41 767 7122
0041 79 632 9420 (mobile)
or
Lisa Dimino, Media Contact for BOL in the U.S.
Tel: 1-212-453-2120 |
