Oct 12, 2005 – By Kenneth Li
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Google Inc and Comcast Corp. are in discussions to buy a minority stake in Time Warner’s America Online, two sources close to the deal said on Wednesday.
A deal would create a formidable challenge to Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp. , with whom AOL is also having separate discussions over a joint venture.
The combination would marry Time Warner’s trove of programming and Google’s popular search and e-mail services with Comcast’s high speed Internet portal and experience in cable video distribution and telecommunications.
Time Warner and Comcast declined comment. A Google spokesman declined comment on the talks, adding, “Google and AOL have a healthy global partnership and AOL remains a valued partner.”
One source warned that the discussions over a joint investment were still in its early stages and could fall apart.
(Hat tip: GoogleRumors)