Web 3.0 & Time Warner (Part 3)

Web 3.0 Framework discussion

Below is a quick overview of the Web 3.0 framework for the Time Warner sites. We have not gone into the details of all the properties, but you can review the Web 3.0 section of this site for detailed discussions on some of the vertical categories.

Context
CNN.com stands for News. InStyle.com stands for fashion. CartoonNetwork.com is a place for kids to watch and interact around cartoons.

Content
Time Warner has a heritage of providing high quality content and it is evident from the various sites operated by the Group. CNN.com features the latest multimedia technologies, from live video streaming to audio to searchable archives of news features.

TMZ dominates the entertainment news landscape. Frequently referenced by the media, TMZ is one of the most-cited entertainment news sources, utilized by national network and local news gathering organizations across the country.

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Commerce
Time.com allow consumers and businesses to take E-Prints of Time articles for nominal charges. Pga.com retails various golfing equipments, merchandise, collectibles, etc. AOL Pictures allow consumers to order prints. Gamtap.com retails top PC and catalog games titles.

Community
Time Warner has been slow to incorporate community features in its sites but it is making rapid strides. The Group has incorporated blogs and other basic community features in most of its sites. FanNation.com users can blog about anything and everything in sports, network with other sports fans, create groups by interest, track favorite players and teams, etc. Sites like AOL Video allow users to view, upload, share, rate and comment on videos. TMZ.com allow users to make posts and comment on various news items.

Personalization
Users can personalize their CNN.com page experience and receive breaking news in their e-mail inbox and on their cell phone, get hometown weather on the home page and set the news edition to their world region. mySI delivers photos and latest news, customized to the users’ favorite teams and sports. MySI’s desktop toolbar delivers real-time headlines and scores.

Vertical Search
AOL also has an industry-leading video search product, powered by company-owned Truveo. The Company also has very good vertical search features in its autos, jobs, travel, real estate, shopping and personals. These have been developed in partnership with some of the leading players in the respective verticals (e.g. Kayak for Travel).

Business Model
The Company earns significant revenues from online advertisement on its news and finance sites. The Company’s premium sites like CNN.com CNNMoney.com and Time.com command high CPM rates. CPM rates for CNNMoney.com is claimed to be between $92 – $143. CPM rates for Golf.com varies from $5 – $60. The Group also earns commissions (revenue share with the respective partners) for the vertical search portals like Travel and Auto. AOL also provides pay-per-download games, feature films and full-length TV shows for purchase.

(To Be Continued)

[Part 1] [Part 2]

This segment is part 3 in the series : Web 3.0 & Time Warner
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