微软(Microsoft)昨日对雅虎(Yahoo)发出446亿美元主动收购报价，向谷歌(Google)日益主导互联网的局面发起挑战。

Microsoft yesterday launched a challenge to Google’s growing dominance of the internet by going public with an unsolicited $44.6bn bid for Yahoo.

尽管微软的报价比雅虎股票前一日的收盘价高出62%，但业内高管和分析师们表示，此举很可能只是打响了争夺为数不多的大型在线媒体及广告公司控制权的第一枪。

In spite of representing a 62 per cent premium¹ to Yahoo’s closing share price the day before, industry executives and analysts² said the approach was likely to be only the opening shot in a scramble³ for control of one of the few large-scale online media and advertising⁴ companies.

一名知情人士称，这一价值每股31美元的现金加股票报价，远低于微软一年前愿意付出的价格，可能意味着微软或许愿意支付更高价格以赢得雅虎董事会的首肯。该名人士表示，一年前，在业务恶化导致雅虎股价走低之前，微软曾准备提出每股最多43美元的报价。不过，另一名知情人士否认了这种说法。

The cash-and-stock offer, worth $31 a share, is far below what Microsoft was prepared to pay a year ago, according to one person familiar with the situation, suggesting that Microsoft may be willing to pay more to win over Yahoo’s board. At that stage, before a deterioration⁵ in its business hit Yahoo’s share price, Microsoft was prepared to offer up to $43 a share, according to this person, although another person close to the situation denied this.

微软高管明确表示，在在线广告业务失利于谷歌后，他们被迫采取行动。

Microsoft executives left no doubt that they had been forced to act after losing ground to Google in the online advertising business.

“在搜索和广告领域有一家更可信的竞争者，对整个行业都有好处，”负责微软在线业务的高管凯文?约翰逊(Kevin Johnson)表示。

“The industry will be better served by having a more credible⁶ alternative in search and advertising,” said Kevin Johnson, the executive in charge of Microsoft’s online operations.

在广告和媒体世界的某些领域，人们对于有更强对手叫板谷歌的前景表示欢迎。在他们眼里，谷歌这一搜索引擎日益增强的实力令人畏惧。

The prospect⁷ of a stronger rival to Google was welcomed in some parts of the advertising and media world, where the search engine’s growing strength has been watched with trepidation⁸.

广告集团WPP首席执行官马丁?索瑞尔爵士(Sir Martin Sorrell)表示，WPP的客户将欢迎这宗交易。“客户希望看到市场更为均衡，无论是展示（广告）还是文字，”他说。“此前，市场面临失衡风险。”

Sir Martin Sorrell, chief executive of WPP, said his advertising group’s customers would welcome the deal. “Clients would like to see more balance in the marketplace, whether in display [advertising] or text,” he said. “Before, it was in danger of becoming unbalanced.”