March 28, 2007 | Wednesday

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Microsoft in takeover talks with DoubleClick

By Jon Myers, Director Of Search in Search Engines |Microsoft |Search Technology

Looking at NMA today it looks like Microsoft is moving into the acquisition trail and Double Click looks like a strong candidate for them. Are they looking to improve there tracking offering as the media side of MSN has used tagging system such as Atlas for a few years or is there some other option to integration with the Adcenter on the Search side of the business?

DoubleClick is in talks with Microsoft about a possible $2bn (£1.1bn) takeover of the online advertising firm. It’s being reported in the US that the software giant is considering the purchase of the giant online ad technology firm. DoubleClick, which has a major British presence, has commissioned investment bank Morgan Stanley to help sound out its options, including a possible stock market listing, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The company is majority-owned by San Francisco private-equity firm Hellman & Friedman, which is seeking at least $2bn for DoubleClick, one source told the Journal.