posted on August 14, 2001 07:30:14 PMeBay And America Online Expand And Broaden Partnership
Alliance Brings eBay Wider Promotion Across AOL Time Warner's Unmatched Media Assets
Extends Companies' Longtime Successful Relationship
San Jose, CA and Dulles, VA, August 14, 2001 -- eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY; www.ebay.com), the world's online marketplace, and America Online, the world's leading interactive services company, today announced a new three-year marketing alliance that expands eBay's promotion across America Online's brands, enabling eBay to take advantage of AOL Time Warner's cross-platform advertising opportunities. The companies, which have had a successful relationship since 1997, will collaborate closely on developing marketing solutions for eBay across a range of AOL Time Warner's online, print and television properties.
Under the new agreement, the companies will work together to promote eBay across various media within AOL Time Warner's vast network of media. These include Time Inc. magazines such as PEOPLE, FORTUNE, and TIME; Turner broadcast networks such as TNT and the TBS Superstation; and AOL Time Warner online properties, such as CNN.com and PEOPLE.com. In addition, America Online will continue to serve as eBay's exclusive third-party advertising sales force, representing a significant portion of eBay's standard online advertising inventory.
eBay will also continue to have a prominent presence across America Online's domestic and international family of brands, including AOL, AOL.COM, CompuServe, Netscape, and AOL's Digital City. The agreement will allow the companies to provide the more than 33 million AOL and CompuServe members and the tens of millions of additional users of America Online's Web-based brands access to the millions of items listed on eBay. Today, the eBay community includes more than 34 million registered users.
"Our relationship over the years with America Online has been a huge success," said Meg Whitman, eBay President and CEO. "Working across AOL Time Warner's tremendous assortment of media properties will allow us to bring eBay to more consumers than ever before. The entire eBay community will benefit from the increased awareness and traffic that this new deal should generate."
Barry Schuler, Chairman and CEO, America Online, said: "We've had a successful relationship with eBay since 1997, and now eBay is joining the growing list of top companies who have expanded alliances with America Online to take advantage of the opportunities offered by AOL Time Warner's unparalleled range of media assets. We are very pleased to expand and broaden our alliance with eBay, one of the great innovators in online commerce."
