Facebook is in talks to buy Microsoft’s Atlas ad-serving platform, one of the remnants of the Redmond company’s acquisition of Seattle-based digital advertising company aQuantive, according to multiple reports today.
AllThingsD reports that Facebook would use the technology as part of its effort expand its advertising platform to third-party websites, beyond Facebook itself, competing with Google’s DoubleClick. Business Insider separately reported the news, also quoting industry sources.
Bloomberg News quotes a source saying Microsoft “is unlikely to get more than a price in the tens of millions” for the ad platform. However, the deal could help Microsoft by making Facebook, its partner, a stronger rival to Google in online advertising.
Microsoft acquired aQuantive for $6.3 billion in 2007 and earlier this year wrote down the value of the deal by $6.2 billion.
