DoubleClick Explores a Sale

From WSJ : Online advertising firm DoubleClick Inc. is exploring a sale, and is already in active talks with Microsoft Corp., among other potential suitors, according to people familiar with the matter.

And John comment
Google does not take third party ad tags. That means that if you want to advertise on Google, you have to run your creative through Google. But a huge portion of the advertising world that Google is now going after - graphical CPM ads - runs through third party ad servers like DoubleClick.

Now, DoubleClick is for sale, the WSJ reports. Actually, I've heard it's been shopped since early last year, but anyway....Microsoft is seen as an interested suitor.

Google can't let this stand. It's a major risk to its business to force advertisers to change behavior - it needs a third party ad serving solution.

So it will, without a doubt, build one. More soon.