Murdoch + Microsoft vs. Google? Don't Hold Your Breath.
Skeptics about the sincerity of media mogul Rupert Murdoch’s self-initiated war against Google, via a backroom deal with Microsoft, have some new evidence today to bolster their case.
AP reporter Michael Liedtke is reporting that, according to three unnamed sources familiar with Microsoft’s discussions with various publishers (including Murdoch’s News Corp.), “Microsoft is unlikely to fund a Google boycott.”
The software giant’s talks with publishers appear aimed at positioning its new search engine, Bing, as a better competitor for news content than Google, but, according to Liedtke, “The discussions could result in new revenue-sharing agreements or other payments — but they wouldn’t necessarily require News Corp. or other publishers to shun Google.”
The AP report also quotes William Dean Singleton, CEO of MediaNews Group Inc., denying that the Bloomberg report last week that two of his newspapers would be joining News Corp. in a purported boycott of Google.
“”We are in no shape or form at odds with Google,” Singleton is quoted as saying. “There is no question that Google provides us with a large audience for our content, which we monetize with ad revenue.”
Meanwhile, over at Poynter Online, Dorian Benkoll calculates that Microsoft would have to pay News Corp. roughly $8 million a year to shut off Google’s access to The Wall Street Journal, and display the financial newspaper’s articles exclusively via Bing.
“Should News Corp. drop out of Google?” Benkoll asks. “Based on what I know today, I wouldn’t recommend it.”
Recent Bnet Posts on Murdoch’s War:
Denver, Dallas Papers May Join Murdoch’s War on the Internet
“That a handful of newspaper companies are indicating this week that they want to join forces with Murdoch and Microsoft (MSFT) and make war on the ethos of the world wide web may not yet indicate a trend, exactly, but this development, as reported by Bloomberg yesterday is worth noting for a number of reasons…”
Murdoch and Microsoft Talk About Ganging Up on Google
“News Corp. (NWS) and Microsoft (MSFT) are reportedly in early-stage talks to form a partnership whereby Microsoft would supposedly pay News Corp. to “de-index” its news content from Google (GOOG)…”
News Corp. Execs Shocked At WSJ’s Leaky Backdoor
“Although it’s hard to believe, it appears that top News Corp. (NWS) execs have only recently begun to realize that the paywall they maintain around much of the Wall Street Journal’s content leaks…”
Legal Experts on How Murdoch’s Threats May Impact “Fair Use” Doctrine
“Media industry titan Rupert Murdoch’s explicit threats this week to block Google from searching his content sites, and to sue the BBC for its use of content he says is “stolen” from his sites got me to wondering whether the head of News Corp. has, in fact, any basis in the law for launching these calculated attacks at this time and in this manner…”
Now it’s Murdoch vs. the World as He Threatens to Sue the BBC
“Media mogul Rupert Murdoch continues to amuse even as he perplexes those of us hoping to divine where he is headed with his current round of threats…”
Murdoch Plays High-Stakes Game of Chicken with Google
“Rupert Murdoch is probably the most outspoken media executive of them all in threatening to retaliate against Google for what he, and others, see as…”
In addition to serving as a BNET Media analyst/blogger, David Weir is a veteran journalist and the author of several books. Weir is a co-founder and vice-president of the Center for Investigative Reporting, as well as an editorial board member of The Nation.
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