aol switching to microsoft

[webmaster]

http://mediastockblog.com/article/4815

An article (paid sub req’d) in this morning’s Wall Street Journal confirms that Time Warner has decided to partner with Microsoft in online advertising. Key points:

AOL will drop Google as its primary provider for search and use MSN instead.
AOL and MSN advertising-related assets will be combined in a JV with little or no money changing hands.
A joint ad sales force will be created to sell ads on MSN and AOL.
An automated platform will be created to serve ads to both sites (presumably for search, as AOL acquired Advertising.com to handle non-search-related ads).
Microsoft will not acquire an equity stake in AOL.
Deal to be announced in the third week of December.

[pcdoc]

And G is up 3+ today. Go figure.

I've been waiting to short G, looks like the time is here.

[jsummars]

Doc, I'd be afraid to short G. Terrified of the bad mojo the G-Gods would unleash upon me.

[pcdoc]

Terrified of the bad mojo the G-Gods would unleash upon me

LOL

[kensmith]

Also read that aol makes up 11% of G's search base. That number is big, but AOL keeps 80% of the revenue generated by the adwords (about $300 million last year) from aol search. So if my math is correct G stands to loose about $75 million in revenue if MSN takes over. I think the lost revenue is less important than the public perception in this case though. Hope it is the start of things evening out a little in the SE world.

[Falcon Living]

I believe it will bring MSN share of search market to 16-17%. Honestly it makes me happy because my MSN numbers are definitely a lot better than Google.

[MarcinSarasota]

I love it. I do well in MSN too.

[kensmith]

MSN doesn't give the huge boost to large sites like G does so local sites do better. This makes way more sense to me when you are talking about a local business like real estate.

[Bob Crain]

Bill Gates if your reading this... Buy Yahoo next.

[jsummars]

AOL says no to Microsoft, opts to stick with Google

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...lgoogle17.html
Months of negotiations to form a partnership between former rivals Microsoft and America Online ended Friday morning with a phone call to Redmond.

Dick Parsons, chief executive of AOL parent company, Time Warner, called Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer to say thanks, but no thanks.