Analysts are starting to weigh in on last week's bombshell announcement that Microsoft is buying aQuantive for $6 billion. (For perspective, that's twice what Google paid for DoubleClick, and nearly four times than the $1.6 billion Google paid for YouTube.)

As MediaPost is reporting, some in the industry have identified the deal as a significant step toward gaining market share beyond the desktop.

According to Kevin Lee, executive chairman of Did-It, the new deal "is about where digital advertising is going to be in the next three, four or five years. When you look at some of the things like mobile Web and IP addressable TV that they've begun to tap into, it's clear that the strategy is to extend digital media far beyond the desktop."

As advertising firms begin to offer one-stop solutions for all digital media - desktop, mobile, and Internet-based television - more advertisers will jump on the digital media bandwagon.

Deal Moves Digital Advertising Beyond the Desktop [MediaPost]