Google will be the exclusive provider of search and keyword advertising software for News Corp.'s Fox Interactive sites including MySpace, the companies said Monday in a statement. MySpace is the sixth most-popular U.S. Web site.

    The deal ends months of speculation about which big search company, also including Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp., would serve MySpace's popular online teen hangout.

    Google will pay Fox at least 900 million dollars in revenue share payments based on certain traffic and other commitments promised by Fox. These payments are expected to be made from the first quarter of 2007 to the second quarter of 2010.

    Through the deal, Google will gain access to 52.3 million young users of MySpace who find friends and exchange messages online. The search giant will sell ads on MySpace and other Fox sites and share revenue with News Corp.

    "MySpace's audience is highly desirable for a certain class of advertisers," said David Card, an analyst with Jupiter Research in New York. "It's a very good partnership. It's the best search engine and the best social-networking site."

    Under the deal, which is set to start in the fourth quarter, Google will sell ads that appear next to search results on MySpace and will also display ads that are linked to the content of Web pages.

    Google shares rose 3.30 dollars, or 0.9 percent, to 381.25 dollars in extended trading at 4 p.m. in Nasdaq Stock Market composite trading. The New York-based News Corp. rose 10 cents to 19.08 dollars on the New York Stock Exchange. Enditem

    (Agencies)