Microsoft has announced the latest expansion of its advertising portfolio via the addition of a new partner. The Redmond company applauded a strategic alliance inked with CNBC, focused on the CNBC.com website. By joined forces with CNBC on advertising syndication, Microsoft manages to reel in another "big fish" to grow its ad business. CNBC's value is not exclusive to its brand, also coming from CNBC.com's in excess of 2.6 million unique monthly visitors, but the deal is ultimately an example of Microsoft's relevance in the online advertising industry.

"CNBC.com has a tremendous, high-quality audience that advertisers are eager to reach, and we're delighted to be providing our advertising technology and sales resources to such a widely respected organization. The addition of CNBC to our syndicated advertising partner sites will help the advertisers that work with Microsoft reach an even broader set of users in this highly strategic audience segment", commented Steve Berkowitz, senior vice president of the Online Services Group at Microsoft.

The Redmond company, as envisioned by Microsoft President of Platforms & Services, Kevin Johnson, has embarked on a trajectory designed to take it to the no. 2 position on the advertising market, behind Google. The timeframe offered for Microsoft's growth, on the online advertising market, is three to five years. Johnson's statement spawned, or better yet, re-spawned the speculation orbiting a potential Microsoft acquisition of Yahoo. But at the same time, the Redmond company's strategy is focused on partnerships, and the Facebook and CNBC deals are illustrative examples. On CNBC.com, Microsoft will have exclusivity over the serving of both contextual and display advertising.

"CNBC and Microsoft share a commitment to providing global customized advertising solutions to all our customers, and we are confident that this alliance will help us deliver on that commitment for the long term. CNBC's world-class customer service team and global sales force combined with Microsoft's innovative advertising and sales teams will provide the most relevant and useful advertising to our highly educated and affluent visitors", added Mark Hoffman, president of CNBC.