AOL breaks 33million mark
- Added:
- Dec 31, 2001
The media giant, which merged with Time Warner at the turn of the year to create one of the world's largest companies, had sparked concerns of a subscription slowdown in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Subscriptions took longer than expected post-September 11 to reach the 32million mark, but the Christmas period and a seemingly renewed confidence in the internet - as shown by recent Christmas e-tailing figures, pushed subscriber numbers through 33million.
An AOL spokesman said the launch of its most recent update of the internet service, AOL 7.0, had helped drive the sales forward, with the new facility boosted through the exclusive availability of the latest Britney Spears video.
“Our continued strong membership growth and usage, as well as climbing popularity of our music and other entertainment offerings, underscore the increasing value of the AOL service,” said CEO Barry Schuler.
The company recently began preparations to buy back the 49.5% stake in its European operation owned by Bertelsmann for a reported 5bn - having been told it must sever links with Bertelsmann to get approval for the Time Warner merger from the European Commission.