Facebook is taking over its own display advertising after years of partnering with Microsoft, the software giant announced Friday.
“We made the mutual decision that Facebook would take over responsibility for selling display advertisements on its own site,” Microsoft Bing general manager Jon Tinter wrote on a company blog.
Facebook’s partnership with Microsoft dates back to 2007 when the software giant invested $240 million in the social network, giving it a small ownership percentage in Facebook.
The deal also made Microsoft Facebook’s exclusive advertising partner.
Facebook’s growth and reported revenue gains may have caused the social network to revisit its advertising choices. By managing its own display advertising, Facebook likely believes it can generate more revenue on the same ad units.
“It just made more sense for [Facebook] to take the lead on this part of their advertising strategy,” Tinter said.