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Microsoft to buy ciao.com
Author: Gareth HalfacreePublished: 1st September 2008
Bill will be pleased to hear that, despite Yahoo's knockback, Live Search is still acquiring and assimilating.
The move is seen by many as an attempt to bolster the Live Search platform since Yahoo snubbed Microsoft's overtures earlier this year – with this deal represented a snip compared to the $47.5 billion the company was prepared to pay for Yahoo.
According to figures obtained by the New York Times, Microsoft's Live Search platform has a scant 2 percent market share here in Europe, with a not-much-better 9 percent worldwide. This compares poorly with Google's 79 percent and 62 percent respectively. Google, of course, has its own shopping comparison engine already in place.
The vice president for Windows and online services at Microsoft, Tami Reller, said of the deal that the “passionate consumer community based on intuitive technology and extensive merchant relationships” at ciao.com should help to “delivery incremental benefit to the Microsoft Live Search Platform.”
The giant of Redmond won't be keeping all of Greenfield for itself, however – besides the technologies and content behind ciao.com, Greenfield also is responsible for a consumer survey service which Microsoft can't find a use for. Accordingly, this part of the company will be sold to what the NYT describes as “an unnamed financial buyer.”
The deal is set to close in the fourth quarter of this year, but the question is: will the integration of a shopping comparison engine into Live Search be enough to take on the might of Google? Share your thoughts over in the forums.
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Comments (8)
steveo_mcg 1st September 2008, 13:23
Well its cheaper than yahoo and probably about as useful to them, i skip these things in general seach and if i want to use one i'l use the bit or froogle ones.
Baz 1st September 2008, 13:42
argh, so true - stupid ciao.com results cluttering my search results!
HugoB 1st September 2008, 14:32
I always read it as C.I.A.O and pronounce it sea-ay-oh for some reason. Naff name for a naff site.
mclean007 1st September 2008, 14:35
Top tip - add "-ciao -dealtime -pricerunner" etc. to your Google search string. Works like a charm!
Mongoose132 1st September 2008, 14:37
Never even heard of it, I'll think I'll be like most people and completely ignore live search and it's un-useful ness
DXR_13KE 1st September 2008, 16:31
Google = cheesecake!
spoon.uk 1st September 2008, 16:32
More war with google :) FIGHT, FIGHT :)
Mr T 1st September 2008, 21:14
486million is peanuts to Microsoft.
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