Yahoo! Ends Netscape Partnership

Web guide Yahoo! is parting ways with Netscape, with a top Yahoo! official claiming the marketing partnership was not generating enough traffic.

In 1997, Yahoo! paid Netscape Communications Corp. a one-time $5 million fee. In return, Netscape prominently featured the Internet search engine at its own heavily-trafficked site. Their partnership began in 1995.

Now the two are competitors, vying to take the lead as the premier site for Internet users.

On Thursday, Netscape announced agreements with four search providers whose services will be offered on the company's Netcenter portal site.

AltaVista, Infoseek, LookSmart, and Lycos will share 50 percent of the site's search requests, while the balance will be diverted to Excite and a Netscape-branded search tool.

Terms of the agreements weren't released. But InfoSeek said its deal was for one year. They become effective June 1.

Netscape Channel also announced a new "channel" on the site to provide company news, information, and product and editorial information. The channel will be accessible both from Netcenter and from the search partners' sites.