Google fears AOL financial blow

bbc.co.uk     08-Aug-2008            

Google's investment was strategic but may come at a financial cost Google has acknowledged that its stake in rival internet firm AOL may now be worth less than the $1bn (£519m) that it paid for it two years ago. In a statement to market regulators, Google said the value of its 5% investment may be "impaired", meaning its worth could have diminished. Google took the stake largely to cement an advertising partnership with AOL. But AOL has struggled in recent years and owner Time Warner has indicated it could sell the business. Financial strength Time Warner recently took steps to separate the access and content functions of AOL, seen by analysts as a prelude to a sale of both operations. Both Microsoft and Yahoo are seen as possible buyers of AOL's content arm as they strive to compete more effectively with Google. Google's... [read full story]                    

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