Rupert Murdoch and Microsoft could soon be collaborating to keep News Corp content away from Google – and boost Microsoft’s Bing search engine in the process. According to the Financial Times, Microsoft could actually pay News Corp to de-list its content away from Google, driving users into the arms of Bing. Read on for more.
Murdoch and News Corp have already mooted the idea of de-listing from Google – claiming that the search engine has been “stealing” stories published in his newspapers – and the FT says that Microsoft may offer a financial incentive for that to happen.
The FT’s story claims that discussions between the two giants have already taken place. And this could end up as a huge deal: if Microsoft starts paying for News Corp content to appear on Bing, other search engines (including Google) will likely have to follow suit – otherwise news-hungry web users will flock to Bing when they want to find The Times’s take on a particular story. Or see The Sun’s photos of buxom D-listers showering in I’m A Celebrity.
Clearly, there’s still a way to go before Microsoft and News Corp reach any sort of agreement, but we’ll keep you posted on any developments.
Out TBC | TBC | Bing (via FT.com)
