Following last week’s approval by EU regulators, their US counterparts have just approved the long-awaited romance between Microsoft and Yahoo!’s search divisions.
Both firms have confirmed today that the USDOJ has cleared the firms to proceed with their deal, and further said that they will now begin to put the deal in place.
Under the terms of the agreement, Microsoft will obtain an exclusive 10-year license to Yahoo!’s core search technologies, and Microsoft will be granted the right to integrate that technology into their existing web platforms. Bing will also become the exclusive algorithm behind Yahoo!’s search and paid search websites. Finally, Yahoo! will become the sole sales force for both companies’ premium search advertisers.
“This breakthrough search alliance means Yahoo! can focus even more on our own innovative search experience,” said Yahoo! CEO Carol Bartz. “Yahoo! gets to do what we do best: combine our science and technology with compelling content to build personally relevant online experiences for our users and customers.”
The Vole’s CEO Steve Ballmer added: “Although we are just at the beginning of this process, we have reached an exciting milestone. I believe that together, Microsoft and Yahoo! will promote more choice, better value and greater innovation to our customers as well as to advertisers and publishers.”
The companies expect to complete the algorithmic search transition in the US by the end of 2010, with advertising following into the New Year, and a global transition to be completed by early 2012.
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