Recently, Google has won an exclusive deal of becoming the exclusive provider to provide general Web search, site search, and vertical-type searches for MySpace.com and the majority of sites run by Fox Interactive Media, the News Corp. online division.
The integration of Google‘s search and advertising services into MySpace.com and the other Web sites will start in the fourth quarter of 2006.
The deal also stated that Google has the responsibility to generate a revenue-sharing payments of at least $900 million in total to Fox Interactive Media between the beginning of 2007′s first quarter and the end of 2010′s second quarter. In turn, Fox Interactive Media must provide Google with various traffic and other goals set aside by the deal.
Before the deal, MySpace.com used Yahoo‘s search engine with sponsored search ads from its network. With Google‘s system proven to be more accurate and flexible than Yahoo‘s, there was a high probability that News Corp. had been noticing and trying to strike a broader, more profitable deal with Google.
On further note, Google also signed a video-distribution deal with MTV Networks on last Monday, August 7, 2006. In that deal, Google is to distribute ad-supported video content from Viacom International’s MTV Networks to Web sites in its extensive advertising network. This would probably be another area of collaboration between the companies, as Google can distribute its ad-supported content from MTV to targeted Website publishers via News Corp. network.
All and all, this should be interesting to watch!