WebProNews

The technical term for what Microsoft has achieved in search (at least in comparison to Google) is "squat."  So the Redmond-based corporation seems to be attacking the giant in one of its more vulnerable spots - television advertising - with the acquisition of a company called Navic Networks.

Navic deals in interactive advertising, and already boasts ties to over 35 million set-top boxes.  It's been connected to Time Warner, NBC, and Bravo by semi-recent announcements, as well.  Not bad.

Brian McAndrews, Microsoft's senior vice president of advertiser and publisher solutions, stated, "Together, Navic and Microsoft will deliver addressable television advertising solutions to help our partners better manage media spend by increasing advertiser reach and ROI, and maximizing publisher yield on television advertising."

He also hinted at all the profits they hope to reap, noting, "Television media represents the largest percentage of advertisers and agencies' media budget today."

It's quite possible that Microsoft and Navic will fare no better than Google TV Ads, of course; a well-established industry is set against them.  Still, they may get to learn from Google's mistakes, and seem to have an out-of-the-gate advantage to boot.