Yahoo CEO open to "any and all" deal alternatives

Jerry Yang, Yahoo CEO and co-founder, speaks at a keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada January 7, 2008.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc remains open to doing a deal with Microsoft Corp but also continues to explore alternative deals, its chief executive and co-founder, Jerry Yang, said on Tuesday.

"Our board and management team continue to be open to any and all alternatives, including a Microsoft deal," Yang told investors on a conference call to discuss the company's first-quarter results, released earlier in the day.

Yang said the company's recent efforts to remake its business strategy related to technology, audiences and advertising customers were "starting to pay off."

Yahoo's top executive said that while the company remains active in the Web search advertising market, its emphasis is on display advertising, which corporate marketers rely on for online brand ads. "While we see opportunities in Web search, our largest opportunity is in display advertising," he said.

(Reporting by Eric Auchard; Editing by Braden Reddall)