AOL’s European division has announced that it has launched AOL Poland, continuing its strategy of expansion in the European market.
Like its counterparts in other countries, AOL.pl offers users free Web tools, including instant messaging, e-mail, unlimited photo storages, video and news. The Polish site also includes Winamp, a media player that users can customize to fit their personal preferences, AOL Europe said in a statement.
“As an ad-supported Web company, we see tremendous potential for growth in Poland. The market is growing faster than the U.S. with online advertising spending forecast to grow by 23 per cent per year until 2011, when it will reach the 160 million euro ($233 million U.S.) mark, making it the second-highest growth rate and the 10th largest in Europe,” said Dana Dunne, CEO of AOL Europe, in the statement.
AOL said launching in Poland is part of its strategy to expand into 17 European markets by 2009. AOL began its expansion in January with the launch of its Australian Web site, followed by sites in the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
The content for AOL.pl will be delivered through AOL’s Polish partners. The Polish Press Agency is providing news and Agora SA covers celebrity news, according to the statement.
Key features of AOL.pl include Poczta AOL, an e-mail service with an unlimited storage option, as well as spam and antivirus protections; AIM, AOL’s instant messaging service; AOL Foto, which offers unlimited storage of original resolution pictures; AOL Video, offering video search and video uploading; and a Web search powered by Google Inc.