14 DAY TRIAL // AOL is continuing to shed products it's not particularly interested in anymore, or rather from which it doesn't stand to make too much money in the short- to medium-term future. The latest such move, the sale of Buy.at, came as a surprise to industry pundits. The affiliate marketing network AOL acquired two years ago has been gobbled up by London-based Digital Window, which also made the announcement.
There were no financial details disclosed, but it is expected that AOL, once again, lost money on this transaction based on the purchase price. The US web giant acquired Buy.at in early 2008 for a reported $150 million, a price unconfirmed by the company. The plan was to integrate it with the ambitious Platform-A, its ad platform designed to cover every market and niche for its own properties and its ad network.
Platform-A has taken somewhat of a backseat after Tim Armstrong took the reigns at AOL and has undergone several restructurings. It has also been renamed simply AOL Advertising. The current vision at AOL is niche content and its ad platform is taking a role secondary to content generation.
Digital Window, the company that bought Buy.at, says it plans to integrate it with its current offerings like AffiliateWindow and ShopWindow. The company adds that, with the Buy.at acquisition, it has become the largest "performance-based marketing" group in the UK, offering services to customers in the US, the UK and Scandinavia.
"This transaction is a milestone not only for Digital Window, but also for the performance marketing industry as a whole. Both companies already excel in the areas of service, ethics and technology. Joining forces enables us to harness the passion and creativity of both businesses to the benefit of all our partners," Kevin Brown, CEO of Digital Window, said.
"Since last year, AOL has been moving through a process that started with strategy, then focused on structure, and has more recently been centred on aligning our costs with the company’s strategy and structure," AOL told PaidContent. "Since July of last year, AOL has been focused on executing its strategic initiatives. As part of that execution plan, we are reviewing the list of AOL assets as they relate to the core strategy."