Bebo goes to Yahoo for display ads

Stephen Withers
Thursday, 13 September 2007 12:07

Your IT - Home IT

Social networking site Bebo has chosen Yahoo to sell most of its display advertising inventory.

This marks the first deal of its kind between the Internet giant and a social networking site. The two companies were already linked through Bebo's use of Yahoo as a search provider, and that arrangement has been extended under the new deal.

Between them, Yahoo and Bebo attract 75 percent of the UK Internet population, according to comScore Media Metrix.

The companies will also develop a Bebo Toolbar that will allow Bebo members to monitor their networks without visiting Bebo itself, and integrate Yahoo Answers with Bebo's site.

Yahoo Answers allows users to pose questions for their peers to answer.

"Bebo is the number one social network in the UK and Ireland, and has become the online destination for the elusive 13-24 year-old demographic," said Joanna Shields, president, international at Bebo.

"The partnership with Yahoo enables us to focus on custom sponsorship campaigns and groundbreaking original productions with the knowledge that our display advertising is handled by a partner that guarantees the highest quality ad for each user interaction."

The new features will begin to appear later this year.

Yahoo Europe's existing advertising partners include Eurosport and Vodafone.