Several public comments made in recent months by News Corp owner Rupert Murdoch were thought to be indicative of a possible deal between Murdoch and Microsoft to de-list all News Corp content from Google News and provide it exclusively to users of Microsoft Bing. However, new reports suggest that the deal is hardly a sure thing.
The Associated Press reports that Microsoft sources are now downplaying the possibility of any such agreement, which would have seismic effects on the world of search engine optimization (SEO). The sources say that Microsoft is unlikely to subsidize a newspaper war against Google. The AP says that, while many newspapers don’t view Google as an ally, they are loathe to give up on a critical source of web traffic.
The theoretical upside of a Bing exclusivity deal, writes the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, would be in the fees that newspapers could collect and in a wealth of new exclusive content for Bing.
Newspapers continue to seek more effective search engine optimization (SEO) methods in order to compensate for slumping print sales with online revenue.
