Why is Norton ineffective against hijacking and maleware

I have a paid subscription to Norton 360.  I’m having problems with maleware.  I click on a site and am hijacked to another site.  The TV app “Crackle” opens in the background all the time and I have to minimize what I’m doing and close Crackle before continuing.  Why can’t Norton 360 address these maleware/virus problems?  Microsoft is advising I download their free anti virus and anti maleware program called Microsoft Security Essentials.  They contend that’s all I need and before I download the program I should delete all other anti virus and anti maleware programs from my computer.  What say you?