Its magazines, movies, cable television and CDs have to be bought from different sources. What makes the AOL-Time Warner merger fascinating is it has the potential to roll AOL's immediacy and Time Warner's vast entertainment resources into one easily accessible package. Technology can not only bring media into homes, but can personalize the content. AOL lets people become their own niche markets, and Time Warner wants its products to have specialized access too. And Time Warner offers AOL a potentially better and quicker way to deliver cable television.
Cable television has the potential for two-way communication.
AOL made its mark by perfecting interaction, but had to rely on telephone lines, which are often painfully slow. With cable, AOL-Time Warner theoretically could let customers browse, select and buy all kinds of media almost as quickly as a button can be pushed. The AOL-Time Warner merger really is about broadening and speeding up commercial transactions from the convenience of home. It's the bellwether of many more deals that could turn the leisure marketplace into a cottage industry.