AOL Surpasses 12 Million-Member Mark.

DULLES, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 16, 1998--

Members Record Over 800 Million Web Hits Daily

Peak Usage Tops 675,000 Simultaneous Users

America Online Inc. (NYSE: AOL) Thursday announced that worldwide membership of its flagship Internet online service AOL has surpassed 12 million members.

The increase reflects steady new membership growth throughout the year to date, as well as continued high member satisfaction.

"Our strong global growth momentum confirms that AOL's convenience and ease-of-use are key to the online experience for mass market consumers. AOL offers the best value in cyberspace," commented Bob Pittman, America Online's president and chief operating officer.

"Along with unmatched content, community and ease of use, AOL members are enjoying the benefits of up to five shared accounts, parental controls, our popular Buddy List and Instant Message features, a growing number of member perks and free, around-the-clock Member Services support with each account."

Pittman continued, "To stay ahead of this membership growth, AOL continues to pay close attention to the expansion of the network to ensure our members' ability to access the service. We've continued to add at least 25,000 modems each month, and we recently announced that AOL will become the first national Internet online service to offer consumer field tests of high-speed xDSL broadband access."

The company noted that AOL's membership has grown by approximately 5 million since it introduced flat rate pricing in December 1996. The service passed the 11 million mark on Jan. 20, 1998.

AOL International currently has more than 1.3 million members outside the United States, with more than 1 million in Europe alone. In addition to AOL's 12 million members, the company's recently acquired CompuServe service has approximately 2 million members worldwide.

AOL is attracting a broad base of mass market consumers, with many of its new members having just purchased their first computer in order to go online. As an example of how the member base mirrors the mass market, 52% of AOL's users are women compared to 16% just four years ago.

AOL continues to set usage records including (compared to last year):

-- Over 800 million Member Web hits daily (260 million);

-- Peak usage tops 675,000 simultaneous users (334,000);

-- Member average over 46 minutes online daily (36 minutes);

-- Over 75 million stock quotes daily (22 million);

-- 28 million e-mails sent daily to 90 million recipients (13 million

to 25 million);

-- 225 million Instant Messages sent daily (94 million);

-- 25 million member sessions daily (11.3 million); and

-- 260 million member-hours online monthly (141 million).

AOL reaches 47% of all interactive households, according to Media Metrix's February research. The research also shows that AOL now accounts for 40% of all traffic from the home to the Web, and 55% of all time spent on either the Web or online from home is spent with AOL.

According to this research, AOL News, Entertainment, Shopping, and Personal Finance, among other Channels, are the leading areas in their categories.

America Online Inc., based in Dulles, is the world's leader in branded interactive services and content. America Online operates two worldwide Internet online services -- AOL and CompuServe -- as well as AOL Studios, the world's leading creator of original interactive content.

Other branded Internet services operated by America Online include AOL.COM, the world's most accessed Web site from home; Digital City, the nation's largest locally focused Internet online service; AOL Instant Messenger, an instant communication tool available to everyone on both AOL and the Internet; and AOL NetFind, AOL's comprehensive guide to the Internet.

CONTACT: America Online Inc.

Wendy Goldberg, 703/265-2359