Prodigy

In computing, online (originally, viewdata) service launched in 1984 by a partnership of IBM and leading US retailer Sears Roebuck; bought in 1996 by the global communications company International Wireless, which relaunched it as an Internet service. In November 2001, Prodigy was bought by SBC Communications, a US telecommunications operator, and is the preferred Internet Service Provider for SBC's dial-up and broadband customers.

Even though Prodigy has been lavishly funded, throughout its history it has lagged behind CompuServe and America Online (AOL). By 1996, it had 1.4 million subscribers, but had never marketed itself outside North America. By 2002, Prodigy had 3.1 million customers.