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Microsoft and Yahoo Align for Search Deal
[August 01, 2009]

Microsoft and Yahoo Align for Search Deal


Aug 01, 2009 (Close-Up Media via COMTEX) -- Yahoo and Microsoft announced an agreement that the companies said will improve the Web search experience for users and advertisers.

In simple terms, Microsoft will now power Yahoo search while Yahoo will become the exclusive worldwide relationship sales force for both companies' premium search advertisers.

The companies explained that, for Web users and advertisers, this deal will accelerate the pace and breadth of innovation by combining both companies' complementary strengths and search platforms into a market competitor with the scale to fuel sustained development in search and search advertising. Users will find what they care about faster and with more personal relevance. Microsoft's competitive search platforms will lead to more value for advertisers, better results for Web publishers, and increased innovation and efficiency across the Internet.



"This agreement comes with boatloads of value for Yahoo, our users, and the industry, and I believe it establishes the foundation for a new era of Internet innovation and development," said Yahoo Chief Executive Officer Carol Bartz. "Users will continue to experience search as a vital part of their Yahoo experiences and will enjoy increased innovation thanks to the scale and resources this deal provides. Advertisers will also benefit from scale and enjoy greater ease of use and efficiencies working with a single platform and sales team for premium advertisers. Finally, this deal will help us increase our investments in priority areas in winning audience properties, display advertising capabilities and mobile experiences." Providing a viable alternative to advertisers, this deal will combine Yahoo and Microsoft search marketplaces so that advertisers no longer have to rely on one company that dominates more than 70 percent of all search. With the addition of Yahoo's search volume, Microsoft will achieve the size and scale required to unleash competition and innovation in the market, for consumers as well as advertisers.

Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer said, "Through this agreement with Yahoo, we will create more innovation in search, better value for advertisers and real consumer choice in a market currently dominated by a single company. Success in search requires both innovation and scale. With our new Bing search platform, we've created breakthrough innovation and features. This agreement with Yahoo will provide the scale we need to deliver even more rapid advances in relevancy and usefulness. Microsoft and Yahoo know there's so much more that search could be. This agreement gives us the scale and resources to create the future of search." "This deal fits the long-term strategic direction of Yahoo to remain the world's leading online media company and Carol Bartz has the full and unanimous support of the Yahoo Board behind this deal," said Roy Bostock, chairman, Yahoo Inc. "This is a significant opportunity for us. Microsoft is an industry innovator in search and it is a great opportunity for us to focus our investments in other areas critical to our future." ((Comments on this story may be sent to [email protected]))

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