Yahoo! and Microsoft announced that they have finalized the details of their planned internet search and advertising partnership. The companies expect to implement the deal next year with the approval of anti-trust regulators. Yahoo! will use Microsoft's new Bing search engine on its own sites while Yahoo! will provide the exclusive global sales force for premium search advertisers. Yahoo! and Microsoft welcomed the broad support the deal has received from key players in the advertising industry and remain hopeful that the closing of the transaction can occur in early 2010. Yahoo! and Microsoft had originally planned to complete their agreement by 27 October but extended talks "given the complex nature of the transaction". The plan to ink a 10-year web search and advertising pact was unveiled in July and promises to set the stage for a Yahoo!-Microsoft offensive against Google.
