AOL reports strong video gains

Tim Armstrong

The AOL.com site grew its video views by more than 100% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2015, as it continues to transform itself into a “video-first property.”

Speaking on the firm’s Q1 earnings announcement last week, AOL’s CEO Tim Armstrong said that AOL.com now logs more than “200 million high-quality video views each month.”

He added that partnerships with companies including FOX, ABC and NBC have resulted in a 45% growth in time spent on the site.

“AOL.com is also scaling live video content with our newest brands, AOL Build and AOL.Rise. AOL Build has received 50 million video views in the first four months of the year, and in the past three months alone, we have hosted Jennifer Lopez, Anne Hathaway, Melinda Gates, Jane Fonda, Alonzo Mourning, Evander Holyfield and Arnold Schwarzenegger,” said Armstrong.

For the quarter, AOL said that revenue grew 7% year-on-year to US$625.1 million, driven by 12% growth in global advertising and other revenue. Adjusted OIBDA declined 3% year-on-year.