Verizon took a major step into the new media world today when it announced that it will be acquiring AOL for $4.4 billion in an all-cash deal. The pricing at $50 per share is about 17% higher than AOL’s current $42 share price, and will put big websites such as the Huffington Post and TechCrunch under Verizon’s control, not to mention AOL.com and the company’s programmatic advertising platform.