This Thursday, the world will learn how the search advertising business fared during the fourth quarter when Google, which represents more than 70% of the business, reveals its earnings for the period. The Wall Street Journal, citing a new study, says the results aren't all that pretty, actually. According to search advertising firm Efficient Frontier, U.S. search spending fell 8% in the fourth quarter from the same period in 2007. The company had been tracking mostly flat growth for most of 2008. This marks the first quarter of negative annual growth in all the years Efficient Frontier has been …

Kara Swisher weighs in on the news that Yahoo Chairman Roy Bostock and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer were both recently sighted at the Time Warner Building in New York after meeting with the media conglomerate's CEO, Jeffrey Bewkes. So what did the trio discuss? Well, for starters, the representatives of the Web's major companies each have a mutual interest in staving off the mounting threat of Google, whose search share now tops 70% by some estimates. They also each have a rich history of talking but not-partnering with each other, although it seems that now more than ever, some sort …

MySpace has beefed up the catalog of available music on MySpace Music, adding five new independent labels and indie music distributors. According to Billboard, the new partners are Nettwerk Music Group, INgrooves, IRIS Distribution, RoyaltyShare, and Sony Music Entertainment's Wind-Up Records. MySpace Music now has seven total indie label partners. However, Billboard notes that the service still lacks a licensing deal with indie giant Merlin, a collection of 12,000 total labels. Merlin has been particularly vocal against the terms MySpace Music offers its partners. One of its main complaints is that the major labels are given equity stakes in the …

The news from technology bellwethers like Microsoft, IBM, Motorola and Intel has been awful of late. According to several blogs, Microsoft and IBM are preparing to get rid of 16,000 employees each, or 17% and 4% of their workforces each. This may or may not be true, but The Economist says the news is telling nonetheless, as the cuts would be the biggest in information technology history. Meanwhile, Motorola earlier this week said it was cutting 4,000 jobs, and Intel on Thursday reported that fourth quarter profit absolutely fell off a cliff, plummeting 90%. These are the signs of the …

The Washington Post's Rob Pegoraro says that this year's Macworld and Consumer Electronics Shows were yet more evidence that TV has a long way to go before consumers are tuning into shows over the Web. The Web currently abounds with sources of video: iTunes Store purchases and rentals, Amazon's on-demand video service, network TV Web sites, third-party video providers like Hulu and YouTube, etc. "Depending on your tastes, these options could let you drop cable or satellite service entirely," Pegoraro says. "But the only way to bring all this content to your TV is to plug a laptop or desktop …

Regardless of the fact that revenues are still puny, YouTube is still one of Web 2.0's larger success stories. However, as VentureBeat's MG Siegler notes, in order to be fully mainstream, the Google video service needs to find its way into the living room. Apple TV has been one avenue, and now, the Sony's PS3 and Nintendo's Wii will provide another. On Thursday, Google launched a new beta version of the service for both video game consoles, available at youtube.com/tv. There's a special interface for interacting with the service it's not the same as using a computer with a mouse …

Apple CEO Steve Jobs says he'll be back after five months of medical leave, but at this point, you could forgive the disbelieving press for not believing him. In any event, while Jobs is on medical leave, COO Tim Cook will take the helm, and the former CEO will remain "involved in major strategic decisions." Already, many are questioning the validity of Jobs claim. What if Steve doesn't come back? Silicon Alley Insider asks, "Will Apple have wasted five months in purgatory -- potentially losing time and direction under temporary leadership?" Answer: probably not. SAI believes that even if Jobs …

New Yahoo Chief Carol Bartz will receive $19 million in 2009, in addition to bonus and stock options, according to a regulatory filing made by Yahoo on Thursday. Bartz, who is expected to turnaround Yahoo's sinking ship by possibly dressing up all or parts of the company for a sale, will earn a base salary of $1 million, as well as a $10 million equity-and-cash payment to make up for benefits that she forfeits from leaving her previous employer, Autodesk. Reuters points out that she will also receive an equity grant, which in 2009 will be around $8 million …