Over the past few years Verizon has gone on an internet property buying spree, including the acquisition of AOL in 2015 and the purchase of Yahoo, which is expected to close soon.
So what does Verizon plan to do with those companies? Put them together under a new brand: Oath.
Business Insider broke the news of the new name yesterday, and now Verizon has confirmed the plan. According to an email I received, the plan had been to unveil the new name this summer, but it’s happening a bit early.
In a message on Twitter, AOL chief Tim Armstrong said that Oath will be made up of more than 20 different brands.
Does that mean Verizon plans to retire the AOL and Yahoo names? Nope. They’ll still continue to operate, but they’ll be part of a new Verizon subsidiary called Oath.
That makes sense, since Verizon didn’t buy Yahoo an AOL just because it was looking for blogs and web portals. It also acquired the trust those companies have with their users, and giving sites like Huffington Post or Engadget (both owned by AOL) a major rebrand might undermine that trust.
So ultimately… the Oath name might not actually be one you see very often. But that hasn’t stopped folks from joking about the name.
Bloody Oath!!
I often do mutter oaths when dealing with these companies, so…. fitting.
Oath: I solemnly swear that I’m up to no good.