Google signs News Corp deal

Google said today it will provide search and advertising on MySpace.com and a host of other websites owned by News Corporation’s Fox Interactive Media arm.

Google has its European headquarters in Dublin.

The deal could see Google pay Fox $900m (€701m) by 2010 as long as web traffic targets are met, but the companies said they could also forge a deeper relationship.

MySpace, which was bought by News Corporation last year, is an online hangout site for web surfers reported to add more than 250,000 users per day.

The tie-up will allow the site’s visitors to use Google to search for groups of friends. Google will then provide adverts triggered by keywords.

Eric Schmidt, Google chief executive, said: “MySpace is a widely acknowledged leader in user-generated content and incorporating search and advertising furthers our mission of making the world’s information universally accessible and useful.”

Other sites in the deal include a host of Fox’s interactive gaming sites, the movie site rottentomatoes.com and men’s lifestyle pages askmen.com.

Peter Chernin, president and chief operating officer at News Corporation, said: “We look forward to expanding our relationship into many new areas over years to come."