1.
Seinfeld ads only part of Microsoft push
Slideshow
1 of 3
Yahoo co-founder David Filo speaks during the launch of the "Greenest City in America" challenge at a press conference in New York's Times Square district on May 14, 2007. The winning city will be announced on June 8 and will receive a hybrid taxi fleet or the equivalent cash donation to be used for city greening projects. (UPI Photo/Ezio Petersen)
Robert Murdoch's News Corp. -- the world's largest media company -- is in discussions with Microsoft -- the world's largest software company -- to put together a combined bid that may increase Microsoft's rebuffed $44.5 billion January offer for Yahoo!, The New York Times reported.
Simultaneously, Yahoo! has begun counter-moves of its own.
Yahoo! is working on a deal to buy most of AOL from Time Warner (NYSE:TWX), The Washington Post reported.
Yahoo! has also worked out a two-week deal with Google to outsource a core service to the world's biggest Internet company.
In a two-week test, Yahoo! will use Google's search advertising system to place ads next to Yahoo! Internet searches.
Microsoft quickly denounced the idea as a violation of anti-trust laws.
"Any definitive agreement between Yahoo! and Google would consolidate over 90 percent of the search advertising market in Google's hands," the company said in a statement.
Senate subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights Chairman Herb Kohl, D-Wis., said he would be "following closely," the deal between Yahoo! and Google, the Times reported.
