Overview
UOL started operations in April 1996 as a content and services portal owened by Grupo Folha. By the end of that year it became a joint venture with Grupo Abril (no longer a partner in the company). UOL has cemented its leadership with the biggest Brazilian publications: Revista Veja and Folha de S.Paulo.
UOL competes with other large communication groups for Brazil's internet audience: Organizações Globo (owner of the nation's top-rated television network) with Globo.com, Telefónica-owned Terra and Oi's iG, iBest, BrTurbo and Oi Internet.
UOL is ranked among the top 100 most visited websites according to Alexa (as of December 2011 its position is #79). UOL provides local Internet access in more than 3,000 cities throughout Brazil and 14,000 cities abroad. The Company has approximately 1.3 million content paying broadband subscribers as of July 2009. Since September 1999, UOL has also operated a portal in Argentina, incorporating a local Internet Service provider in 2001. According to IBOPE//NetRatings, UOL had 17.6 million unique visitors in Brazil as of July 2009, maintaining its ranking position of the first among the largest content portals in Brazil and accounting for a 63% reach in this market.
UOL launched a variety of products in the last few years, as a price comparison service (Shopping UOL), auction site (TodaOferta), job search (Emprego Certo) among others.
On December 16, 2005, UOL started to being traded at BM&F Bovespa, but in August 31, 2011, its parent Folhapar assumed 100% control of the company, closing its capital on the stock exchange. Its stock was UOLL4.
It owns the Internet television channel TV UOL.
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