What was the name of the company formed by the 2000 merger of AOL and Time Warner?

The company formed by the AOL–Time Warner merger was named AOL Time Warner.

AOL and Time Warner announced their plan in January 2000, presenting it as a merger joining an internet-service giant with a major media and entertainment conglomerate. AOL shareholders were slated to own about 55% of the combined company, while Time Warner shareholders would own about 45%. The transaction was completed on January 11, 2001, after regulatory approvals.

The deal was valued at roughly $360 billion when completed, making it the largest merger in history at the time. Its strategy was to combine AOL’s online audience and internet distribution with Time Warner’s cable systems, magazines, music, film, and television assets. The hoped-for digital-media advantages proved difficult to realize as broadband reduced the importance of dial-up internet and AOL’s value declined sharply.

The corporate name did not last forever. In 2003, the company dropped “AOL” and became Time Warner. AOL was eventually spun off as an independent company in 2009, making the original merger a frequently cited example of a deal whose strategic promise failed to match its results.