AOL spokespeople told the media that the company will honour any existing contracts to deliver pop-ups but such contracts will not be renewed. AOL will also continue to "utilise a variety of mechanisms including pop-ups to notify members about key features on the service, and on a limited basis, to make special offers from AOL Time Warner."
The company expected to make a $30 million profit from pop-ups in 2003.
AOL 8.0, the latest version of its flagship service which was released yesterday, contains some new features, including one that allows parents to get a "report card" of their kids' on-line activities, and another that lets users choose to view only e-mails from people they know.