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Unlike another well-known News Corp property, MySpace, the Wall Street Journal opened its search advertising opportunity to Microsoft.

AdCenter just grew up in a hurry, as Microsoft disclosed a deal with the Wall Street Journal for contextual and paid search ads. Microsoft will serve ads across all of the Journal's digital outposts.

The arrangement gives Microsoft a place among some of the best known financial brands. Along with WSJ.com, Microsoft gains placement on Barrons.com, MarketWatch.com, AllThingsD.com, and other sites under the Journal's banner.

"Microsoft’s state-of-the-art advertising platform will enable us to dramatically improve our revenues from this key sector," Gordon McLeod, president of The Wall Street Journal Digital Network, said in a statement.

February marks the beginning of Microsoft's contextual ad appearance on the Journal's network. Microsoft estimated this will add about 20 million unique visitors per month to adCenter's reach, within what has been a lucrative financial services vertical.

Searchviews said Microsoft replaced Pulse 360 on the contextual ad side, while Business.com had been the paid search ad partner for the Journal. DoubleClick will continue handling the display ad business for WSJ Digital.