aquantive - Internet Marketing News and Blogs

Microsoft has restructured its digital advertising business to accommodate its recent buyouts of aQuantive and online ad exchange AdECN.

The software giant has created a new ‘Advertiser and Publisher Solutions’ unit to promote its online ad platforms to publishers and brands and carry the fight to arch-rivals Google and Yahoo!.

Shareholders of aQuantive have given the green light for the company’s $6bn purchase by Microsoft in a meeting that reportedly lasted for a little over six minutes.

The acquisition, which gives the Redmond giant ownership of ad technology provider Atlas, as well as interactive agency AvenueA and targeting tech company Drive PM, is now expected to close in the next few days.

Microsoft has bought online advertising firm aQuantive for about $6bn (£3bn), giving it ownership of ad technology provider Atlas; interactive agency AvenueA/Razorfish; and Drive PM, which provides targeting tools for internet advertisers and publishers.

The announcement of the deal follows a wave of consolidation seen in the online ad market recently -Google's DoubleClick deal, AOL's acquisition of AdTech and WPP's purchase of 24/7 Real Media.