AOL Sells Affiliate Firm buy.at
U.K.-based network offloaded after just two years.
AOL has announced the sale of buy.at, the affiliate firm it acquired in 2008. The buyer, London-based company Digital Window said it plans to combine the buy.at network with its existing affiliate business, Affiliate Window.
AOL acquired a range of digital ad companies in 2007 and 2008, and bundled them under the “Platform A” brand, claiming it would offer a “one stop shop” for advertisers across a range of digital channels. However, less than two years on, new CEO Tim Armstrong renamed that proposition AOL Advertising, and has since stressed the company’s focus on content.
A statement from the company today read, “AOL is focused on building the world’s best products and services, including great content and brand advertising platforms. 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.”
To help guide the production its content production business, AOL has appointed David Eun as president of Media and Studios, who starts with the company today. Speaking with ClickZ, Armstrong said the appointment demonstrated “commitment to content.”
Despite the changing focus, an AOL spokesperson said the buy.at sale did not imply a downscaling of the company’s ad ambitions, but did not comment on the potential sale of other ad-related assets, stating, “In terms of advertising, we are focused on becoming the global leader in scale and reach for premium digital advertising.”
Other brands that were folded into Platform A, and the subsequent AOL Advertising banner include behavioral targeting firm Tacoda, contextual network Quigo, ad serving solution AdTech, and mobile ad company Third Screen Media.
Buy.at currently serves clients in the U.K., the U.S., and across Scandanavia. It opened a U.S. office off Wall Street in late 2007 as it pursued business in the U.S. market; that office remains there today.
Terms of the sale were not disclosed.
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