T-Online will assert its position as a leading European online service
through new strategic goals and a focus on popular content which will in
part cost money.
Furthermore, T-Online wants to take an early position
on the market for mobile Internet use and interactive TV.
The CEO of
T-Online, Thomas Holtrop, told the press yesterday, “We will use new,
attractive content to build T-Online into an Internet media house. To do
this, we’ll work together with numerous content providers and construct
our own Internet-specific program competency. Our goal is to increase
the share of T-Online’s portal turnover to over 30 percent by the year
2004.”
The expansion of the content business will have top priority. New
content attractions such as the “Follow Your Stars” format are about to
be launched. With “Follow Your Stars,” a camera will follow a star
around for several days, and fans of the star will be able to take part
in the life of their idol in real time.
The so-called vertical portals –
that is, the special interest offers from T-Online with their news
services – are also being expanded.
After T-Online’s new strategy was introduced, the WGZ Bank proclaimed
the business model to be “very questionable,” and it will not change the
stock’s current “market performer” rating.
In a conversation with
dpa-AFX, the German press agency’s business news service, analyst Paul
Sibianu said that the company has to move away from the marginally weak
access market. As an alternative, T-Online should increase its turnover
through advertising and in the area of e-commerce.