Rumor: Sina to Partner with MSN on Microblog, Blog, IM, and Portal
Sohu IT, 11/08/10
According to an industry source, Sina (Nasdaq: SINA) and Microsoft Network (MSN) will be announcing a comprehensive cooperative agreement on November 11 of this year. Areas of cooperation will include micro-blogs, blogs, IM services and internet portals.
The source revealed that cooperation between the companies is already underway following an agreement between Sina and Microsoft headquarters in the US. The agreement has been kept secret in hopes of quietly seizing market share recently lost by Chinese internet company Tencent (0700.HK) in its acrimonious battle with anti-virus software developer Qihoo 360. The source also indicated that the level of cooperation between Sina and MSN would extend to opening access between MSN, Sina Blog, and Sina Microblog accounts.
Another source in the investment community claims that the agreements would not entail financing, and that Sina had no intention of replacing Shanghai Alliance Investment as MSN's joint investment partner in China. Currently, MSN's plans for joint enterprises in China are still under discussion.
The public relations team at Microsoft China expressed confidence that Shanghai Alliance Investment would not withdraw from MSN joint venture projects. When asked about the upcoming November 11 press conference, the MSN representative neither confirmed nor denied the rumor, telling reporters, "Wait and see."
Keywords: Internet portal Alliance Investment MSN Microsoft Sina blogging instant messaging microblogging
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