AOL ex-CEO looks beyond Google, Microsoft & Yahoo

By Kenneth Li

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former AOL Chief Executive Jonathan Miller has joined online advertising company OpenX as chairman, banking on room in the industry for smaller players even as it consolidates around big deals like Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) bid for Yahoo Inc (YHOO.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz).

Miller, who helped lay the groundwork to transform AOL from a dial-up Internet service to one focused on advertising, takes charge of OpenX as it faces a strengthened competitor in DoubleClick, which will soon be part of Google Inc (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz).

OpenX, formerly Openads, gives away free software to let Web publishers control when, where and how ads are served on their Web sites. DoubleClick offers a similar service, but charges a fee for its software.

OpenX makes money from charging ad networks to plug into its community of more than 30,000 Web site publishers in more than 100 countries. In January, it test-launched an ad server hosting service that stores ads that can be served to clients when they are needed.

Like other small advertising companies, not to mention Microsoft and Yahoo, OpenX seeks to chip away at a $40 billion Web advertising market now dominated by Google.

Miller sees Microsoft's $42 billion bid for Yahoo as "a battle among the titans" that will herald more consolidation and a new era for ad companies.

"The titans are doing fine, but there's a whole new generation. I believe Openads is one of those," he told Reuters in a phone interview.

The former CEO and chairman of AOL helped restructure the once-reigning king of the online world, paving the way toward Time Warner Inc's (TWX.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) plans to split up AOL.