While currently the undisputed underdog of the online advertising market, and running to become the no. 2 Internet advertiser behind Google in the next three to five years, Microsoft is stretching as much as it can in order to reach an increasing volume of eyeballs. In this regard, the Redmond company and EDGAR Online announced a new strategic partnership focused on online advertisement. According to the terms of the deal, Microsoft will serve online advertising to the EDGAR Online's over 2 million unique visitors per month. At the same time the MSN portal will begin to feature content generated by EDGAR Online.

"EDGAR Online attracts a highly targeted audience with its deep business and financial content, and coupling that audience with Microsoft's advertising technologies is going to be a winning combination for advertisers. The inclusion of EDGAR Online as a syndicated advertising partner site and the addition of its content to MSN Money will add value for our users and will help advertisers reach an even broader audience in this highly attractive financial vertical," revealed Brian McAndrews, senior vice president, Advertiser and Publisher Solutions at Microsoft.

The new content heading to MSN Money from EDGAR Online will be completely integrated into the portal at a later date this year, Microsoft informed. At the same time, the Redmond company will debut offering contextual, display and video ads on the EDGAR Online site in just a couple of months, beginning with March. The alliance delivered Microsoft with the exclusivity over serving display, contextual and video advertising on EDGAR Online.

"Microsoft's advertising technologies are best in class, and we believe this deal will further enhance the experience of our users by ensuring the advertising they see on our site is relevant to their interests. Furthermore, the addition of our financial content to MSN Money is a strategic expansion of our brand and reach, and a win for consumers and advertisers alike," added Sue Bratone Childs, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, EDGAR Online.