enable the Internet to be at least 100 times faster than today.(Holstein, 38) Since AOL and Time Warner are dominant in their perspective industries, namely the Web-portal market and the media and entertainment market, the merger could provide two distinct ways for greater market share. One path to greater market share lies in the merging of two enormous subscription based companies. Both have large shares of the industrys consumer base and thus, through promotional and marketing efforts, they will have the opportunity to influence their subscribers to extend their relationship to other services provided by the merger. Secondly, while the broadband technology is developing, AOL Time Warner is in a strategic position, that when the technology affords the beginning of a new industry, specifically, an interactive Internet industry, they can exploit this industry to gain a large market share. Thus, the merger provides the two companies to not only exploit current opportunities, but imminent opportunities afforded by the development of the Internet. As quoted by Time Bajarin, head of Creative Strategies, "What Steve Case has in mind is integrating the whole issue of video, animation, 3-D and stereo sound as well s text and graphics into more interactive immersive experience. He now has the best foundation of anybody to deliver massive next-generation Internet content." (Holstein, 39)It is quite obvious that the Internet is ready to influence the world in such a way that in time, a world without the Internet would be thought unimaginable. With the merger of AOL and Time Warner, the advantages of merging a content company(Time Warner) and a carrier company such as AOL will have immense possibilities to exploit the impending environment. Drawbacks of the MergerThere are, however, a couple drawbacks to the merger. Possible conflicts could arise between the two companies goals. AOL is a rapidly expanding company, while Time Warner strives t...
