Introducing a new online advertising network that links with searches initiated on MSN, Microsoft launched a challenge at Google, Inc., seeking to break into the significant revenue streams that are currently attached to the search engine field.

The software giant is hoping to break through the immense network that rival Google has established with a multitude of small web sites. Microsoft is seeking a portion of the financial market associated with the search engine technology as well as to develop relationships with small companies to which it could sell its vast array of software products.

Launching the paid-search service in France and Singapore, MSN's new adCenter will provide advanced audience targetingstrategies that aredesigned to help advertisers improve their investment return. Using some very sophisticated new concepts along with the information the company has compiled from Hotmail users, Microsoft's adCenter will use the demographics of web users to make it easy for advertisers to put their brands in front of specific customer targets.

With MSN attracting more than 420 million users per month across the world, the company offers vast online advertising opportunities to businesses worldwide. Upon establishing its own advertising network, MSN reportedly will gradually end its relationship with Yahoo.

With its own search-based ads, Microsoft hopes to challenge Google's revenue shareand by phasing out ties with Yahoo,weaken yet another tech competitor.