Aol Timewarner

AOL TimeWarner offer many services and businesses to the different consumers. Three of these products and services include HBO (Home Box Office), Time Warner Cable, and New Line Cinema. "HBO is the most-watched pay service in the U.S.--offering original series, HBO Films presentations, Hollywood blockbusters, documentaries, concerts and championship boxing. Cinemax is the second-most-watched pay service, showing more than 1,200 movie titles annually. The two services offer 15 distinct multiplex channels as well as high-definition feeds and the industry's most successful subscription video-on-demand products, HBO On Demand and Cinemax On Demand (http://www.timewarner.com/corp/businesses/detail/hbo/index.html)." "A pioneer in the cable industry, Time Warner Cable owns or manages cable systems serving subscribers in 27 states, which include some of the most technologically advanced, best-clustered cable systems in the country with more than 75% of the Company's customers in systems of 300,000 subscribers or more (http://www.timewarner.com/corp/businesses/detail/time_warner_cable/index.html)." "Founded almost 40 years ago, New Line Cinema is the most successful independent film company in the world. Its mission is to produce innovative, popular and profitable entertainment in the best creative environment. In addition to the production, marketing and distribution of theatrical motion pictures, the fully-integrated studio has divisions devoted to home entertainment, television, music, theater, merchandising and an international unit. In 2005, New Line partnered with HBO to form Picturehouse, a new theatrical distribution company to release independent films. A pioneer in franchise filmmaking, New Line's Oscar-winning The Lord of the Rings trilogy is one of the most successful film franchises in history (http://www.timewarner.com/corp/businesses/detail/new_line_cinema/index.html)."

Regarding AOL TimeWarner's place in the technology cycle, I feel they are mostly associated with incremental change. This is the phase of the technology cycle in which a company innovates by lowering costs and improving the functioning and performance of the dominant technological design. Costs of AOL, Time Warner Cable, HBO, etc. are all lowering prices, or having special promo's to attract new customers, and to keep current subscribers. They are also improving their existing technology. For example, "AOL and Warner Bros. Announce 'In2TV,' New Broadband Network On AOL.com. Thousands of episodes from some of the most popular television series of all time will make a comeback exclusively on AOL.com in early 2006, thanks to a pioneering collaboration between AOL and Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution to form a new broadband network. The network- called In2TV - will allow consumers to stream full-length episodes from favorite series such as Welcome Back Kotter, Sisters, Beetlejuice, Lois & Clark, La Femme Nikita and Growing Pains free and on-demand on the Web. Along with full-length episodes, In2TV will also include unique interactive features such as games, quizzes, polls, trivia contests and more (http://www.timewarner.com/corp/newsroom/pr/0,20812,1129725,00.html)."

The top four leaders of AOL TimeWarner are Richard D. Parsons, the Chairman of the Board and CEO, Time Warner Inc., R.E. Turner, Chairman, Turner Enterprises, Inc. and Founder, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., Jonathan Miller, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of America Online, Inc, and Barry M. Meyer, Chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Entertainment.

"Since becoming CEO, Mr. Parsons has led Time Warner's turnaround and set the company on a solid path toward achieving sustainable growth. In the process, he has put in place the industry's most experienced and successful management team, strengthened the company's balance sheet and simplified its corporate structure, and carried out a disciplined approach to realigning the company's portfolio of assets to improve returns. In its January 2005 report on America's Best CEOs, Institutional Investor magazine named Mr. Parsons the top CEO in the entertainment industry. Before becoming CEO, Mr. Parsons served as the company's Co-Chief Operating Officer, overseeing its content businesses-Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, Warner Music Group and Time Warner Book Group-as well as two key corporate functions: Legal and People Development. Mr. Parsons joined Time Warner as its President in February 1995, and has been a member