aol

When Microsoft was threatening to go hostile in its Yahoo bid, Google appeared close to a deal. Now that Microsoft has pulled its offer, things appear to have cooled considerably.

While such a deal is apparently still simmering, it appears to be relegated to the back burner and indeed, may or may not ever boil. Although Yahoo had hoped to have a deal ready to announce this week, that now appears unlikely, according to Marketwatch.

Folks I talked to on Monday offered similar sentiment. One of the hurdles in any deal is trying to craft an agreement that offers enough … Read more

Monday morning meant back to reality for both Microsoft and Yahoo, after talks between the two sides collapsed over the weekend.

Both companies have maintained they had a strategy independent of the other, but now the two sides will have to prove it. The companies are likely still in dealmaking mode--just not with each other. Yahoo is still pursuing deals with Google and AOL, a source tells CNET News.com, while Microsoft has indicated that it will also look at other business deals. AOL could be on Microsoft's short list as well.

Yahoo shares, meanwhile, got their expected pummeling, … Read more

Microsoft may no longer be breathing down its neck, but Yahoo is still working on major deals with Google and Time Warner's AOL that could significantly alter the Internet pioneer.

The nearer-term possibility is a partnership to use Google for delivering some ads next to Yahoo search results. That option apparently is still on track to be announced this week, perhaps Wednesday or Thursday, according to a source familiar with the situation.

The Google deal could increase Yahoo's revenue, because Google gets more revenue per click for its ads, but it also could reinforce Google's search-ad leadership … Read more

With Yahoo apparently off the table, it's time to see what Microsoft's back-up plan looks like.

Microsoft has said for some time that it has a strategy with or without Yahoo, but it's a strategy clearly in need of a jump-start.

In search, for example, Microsoft has been trying to take on Google for some time, but it remains a distant third in search queries and also has struggled in the all-important battle of monetizing each search query.

Microsoft outlined two key reasons for buying Yahoo--adding its talented engineers and getting the significant boost in scale that … Read more

There's no mistaking who benefited from a federal-court decision to set licensing fees that three top Web services must pay songwriters and publishers for the right to stream their music.

But the question left unanswered is whether the losers also include consumers.

AOL, RealNetworks, and Yahoo may end up paying the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) $100 million as a result of a decision by a U.S. district judge to set the licensing fee for streaming music at 2.5 percent of adjusted music-use revenue.

"(The court's decision) is a victory for songwriters, … Read more

A federal district court in New York ruled Wednesday that the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers is owed "reasonable license fees" by online media powerhouses AOL, RealNetworks, and Yahoo for the music streamed and distributed on their sites.

Currently, music streamed by sites owned by the three companies is advertising-supported and no dividends are paid to ASCAP.

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York will now determine appropriate fees for AOL, RealNetworks, and Yahoo, all of which have applied for ASCAP licenses but have not been able to agree upon fees. … Read more

Time Warner is splitting off its cable services division, the company said Wednesday.

Time Warner currently owns around 84 percent of Time Warner Cable. The media giant, which has been struggling of late, has been rumored to be discussing an AOL partnership with Yahoo.

"A complete structural separation of Time Warner Cable, under the right circumstances, is in the best interest of both companies' shareholders," CEO Jeff Bewkes said in a release.

The company also reported first-quarter earnings on Wednesday. Gains in its Turner cable networks and phone and broadband division were offset by slow ad sales at … Read more

AOL said Tuesday it has opened the interface to AIM Call Out, a move that will let programmers more easily build products that tap into the service for making calls over the Internet to mobile or landline phones

The Open Voice API (application programming interface) is freely available. Building it into a device, such as a phone with Internet access or with support for SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), can let people call using AOL's network and bypass much of the ordinary telephone infrastructure.

AOL charges fees for using the Call Out service, but the rates are compelling, the company … Read more

Time Warner's AOL has acquired Fleaflicker, a free fantasy football site.

Site founder and operator Ori Schwartz confirmed the acquisition Saturday but declined to describe terms of the deal. AOL's move was reported Friday by TechCrunch.

MediaPost Publications reported that AOL will add the site to its AOL Sports area.

Fantasy sports sites let members create imaginary team rosters out of real players; how those players perform in real-world games influences how fantasy teams fare.