Internet and software giant Microsoft has revealed that it intends to focus on the online advertising market whether it acquires Yahoo! or not.During a conference call with reporters concerning the firm's quarterly profits, Chris Liddell, Microsoft's chief financial officer, stated that the firm is prepared to withdraw its offer to buy Yahoo! and believes it is capable of succeeding in the market without the search engine provider.
He commented: "As we said recently to the board, unless there's progress by this weekend, we will reconsider our alternatives."
Mr Liddell added: "With respect to Yahoo!, we have been clear speed is of the essence.
"With or without a Yahoo! combination, Microsoft is focused on the online advertising market."
According to the expert, Microsoft could take the offer to Yahoo!'s shareholders or "withdraw the proposal and focus on inorganic and organic opportunities".
Yahoo! has been set a deadline of tomorrow (Saturday April 26th), by which time Microsoft will expect a formal response to its takeover proposal.
Microsoft posted a fall in profits of 11 per cent in the three months to March 31st, with the figure standing at $4.39 billion.
The news comes shortly after Yahoo! reported an increase in earnings for the first financial quarter, recording a profit of $150 million.
