Yahoo opens mobile ad network

Stephen Withers
Wednesday, 28 March 2007 02:50

Your IT - Mobility

Yahoo is making a grab for advertising on mobile phones. Its new Mobile Ad Network provides syndicated advertising for publishers of mobile content and services, and MobiTV has signed up as the first major partner.

The other "launch partners" are web browser developer Opera and location-dependent content provider go2.

"MobiTV is the pioneer in mobile television and we are excited to work with them to continue to grow the mobile advertising marketplace," said Bruce Stewart, vice president, business development, Yahoo. "As an undisputed leader in digital advertising across both the PC and mobile, we are uniquely able to combine valuable inventory with our global sales force and deep technology to deliver the comprehensive solution top advertisers are looking for as they go mobile."

MobiTV was similarly upbeat. "As we progress, we will deploy additional features including next-generation interactivity, location-awareness and click-to-act - maximizing the currency this alliance offers brand advertisers, while providing consumers a relevant and meaningful experience," said Jack Hallahan, vice president of advertising for MobiTV.

Yahoo is also offering its Mobile Content Engine to simplify the delivery of listings and articles through OneSearch (Yahoo's mobile search service); Mobile Media Directory, a human-edited directory of mobile content; and Mobile Site Submit, a submission service for OneSearch.

The company claims OneSearch and related services are accessible by over 85 percent of mobile phones in the US. Some observers believe the arrival of Apple's iPhone will spark renewed interest in searching for and accessing information via phones and other mobile devices.

Yahoo's Mobile Publisher Services are offered in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Indonesia, India, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, UK, US and Vietnam.

AT&T recently announced that it has teamed with MobiTV to deliver its U-verse IPTV service to broadband-connected PCs and eventually to mobile phones.