Microsoft just announced they are to buy aQuantive, gaining "interactive agency Avenue A | Razorfish, digital marketing technology provider Atlas, as well as DRIVEpm, a performance media company. " The price is a hefty $6 billion, the largest acquisition in Microsoft's history, and double the price of the Google and DoubleClick deal at $3.1billion.
Press Release - Microsoft to Acquire aQuantive, Inc.
The purchase of aQuantive provides Microsoft with an end-to-end advertising platform, from the creation of ads through to the delivery. This will serve Windows Live, Office Live and Xbox Live, as well as 3rd party sites such as Facebook. The question is whether Microsoft will now venture into the Google AdSense arena and start offering ads for display other 3rd party sites.
Lots more talk on this going on around the web, here's a few links:
http://searchengineland.com/070518-082836.php
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=5083
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/05/18/microsoft-pays-6-billion-for-aquantive/
Is it just me or is the last few months starting to look like a repeat of the last dot-com boom?