Right on the heels of its ad serving deals with CNBC and Viacom (NYSE: VIA), Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) now has a deal to supply contextual and paid search ads to the Wall Street Journal Digital Network. Among the sites: WSJ Online, Barrons.com, MarketWatch.com, AllThingsD.com. No financial specifics disclosed—and no indication whether this would lead to Microsoft working with other News Corp (NYSE: NWS). sites.

Microsoft will start running ads on the network in February. While the WSJ hopes the deal will increase the ad revenues for its sites, Microsoft is the immediate beneficiary. For one thing, it gives the company’s ad efforts a greater sense of momentum since its $6 billion purchase of aQuantive in August. Secondly, the deal complements Microsoft’s attempts to promote its own MSN Money to advertisers, as well as other financial news sites within its ad network, such as other recent agreement to serve ads on EDGAR. Release

• Microsoft Signs Online Ad, Content Deal With Viacom; Value Of Agreement Pegged At $500 Million