Microsoft has struck a deal with AOL to take over its advertising business, reports WSJ. The deal includes sales of display, mobile and video ads on Microsoft properties in the US and eight other markets. The report mentions that all of Microsoft’s ~1200 employees in advertising will be provided with an option to join AOL. Financial details of the deal were undisclosed. The deal will also include Microsoft’s Bing search engine providing search results and advertising on AOL’s properties for the next 10 years, replacing Google which previously provided AOL with its results. Note that, Microsoft will not exit the ad business entirely as the company will continue to sell search ads. Exit from mapping: Microsoft also sold a part of its Bing Maps technology to online cab hailing service Uber for an undisclosed amount. Following this deal, about 100 Microsoft employees were expected to join Uber. The company also stopped collecting map data and will instead depend on data licensed from partners like Nokia to continue offering its Bing Maps service. Microsoft said it would instead focus on the user experience of Bing Maps. Read our full coverage here. Exit from music streaming: In December last year, Microsoft had also sold its MixRadio music streaming service to the Japanese mobile messaging service LINE for an undisclosed amount. Microsoft had inherited MixRadio as part of its Nokia devices and services business acquisition, last year. In July last year, it was reported that MixRadio is set to be spun-off into an independent…
