Internet giant Yahoo! Has struck a deal with mobile operator 3 UK to sell display ads and sponsored links on the company's Planet 3 portal site. Yahoo! will exclusively manage and sell mobile ad inventory on the portal, enabling it to offer mobile advertisers access to 3 UK's customer base of three million.
Neil Andrews, 3 UK's head of portal advertising, stated: "By combining Yahoo!'s expertise in mobile advertising with 3's inventory, we can help big brands target their advertising with maximum success."
According to the network operator, 1.4 3 UK customers have joined its ad-funded music video service. The service allows subscribers free music videos after they have watched targeted video ads.
Yahoo! has said that it will begin supplying ads from its partners later this month.
Yahoo! is also the exclusive mobile-advertising partner for Vodafone and T-Mobile UK, two of 3 UK's competitors.
The move comes soon after Google's announcement that the launch of Google Android will be delayed - but then again, it's not as if Yahoo! and Google aren't on friendly terms at the moment. The two search giants just struck a commercial deal together.
Competition for the mobile internet market can only heat up in the coming months as numerous hard hitters in the digital industry recognize the huge potential offered by the mobile web. From ads tied into mobile mapping applications to those linked to music downloads - the sky seems the limit.
