Microsoft Live Search at new low

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Microsoft Live Search at new low

Todd Bishop on Friday, March 13, 2009, 11:14am PDT

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Maybe it's time for Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to make another call to Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz. Numbers just released by comScore Networks show Microsoft's Live Search engine slipping to 8.2 percent market share in the U.S. in February. According to the TechFlash spreadsheet of historical comScore data, that's the lowest point on record for Microsoft's search site, dating back to at least June 2007.

To be sure, it's only one-tenth of a percentage point less than Microsoft's previous low. But it's obviously not the direction Microsoft is hoping to head. The numbers also underscore how long it will take for Microsoft's distribution deals with Dell and H-P to have an impact.

Earlier this week, Microsoft executive Kevin Turner reiterated that the Redmond company remains open to striking some sort of search deal with Yahoo. That has been Microsoft's fallback position for months now, following its unsuccessful attempt to acquire Yahoo last year.

Yahoo's search market share also declined in February, but with more than 20 percent of the U.S. market, it remains the closest rival to market leader Google -- which saw its search share rise three-tenths of a percentage point to 63.3 percent for the month.

Microsoft has begun internal testing of a Live Search overhaul called Kumo, although the company says it hasn't decided whether it will keep that new name when the revamp is rolled out.

About Todd Bishop

Todd Bishop is co-founder and managing editor of TechFlash. He has covered Microsoft and the technology industry for more than five years, most recently as a daily newspaper reporter and blogger based in Seattle.

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