Apple to sell ads on iTunes?
updated 09:20 am EDT, Tue April 25, 2006
Advertising on iTunes?
Apple may soon be adding advertising to its its popular iTunes serice, according to content partners who have been briefed on the plan. The introduction of visual ads could be the first step to allowing ads in other content areas or on iPods, reports Ad Age: "Apple CEO Steve Jobs has supported the idea of ad-supported podcasts, so adding a visual component to the existing audio ads isn't much of a stretch." While Apple's current plans are for the advertising to appear only in the lower-left corner of the iTunes library while users listen to podcasts from their computers rather than from portable devices, the report notes that it is a "big step for the service, which has so far limited ad intrusions to audio spots embedded in some of the podcasts offered via iTunes."
Apple's decision to allow advertising on iTunes may undercut the television networks, although the company is said to be working with ESPN Radio, which supplies some of iTunes' most popular ad-supported sports podcasts, according to the report.
"Still, the iTunes deal undercuts the networks' bread-and-butter business. ABC is about to work advertising into its on-demand distribution plans; in May and June it will offer free versions of several of the same shows it sells on iTunes on its own site with ads that can't be skipped. NBC will launch free original Webisodes this summer of its hit "The Office." AOL's In2TV plans to offer free, ad-supported original fare and just signed a distribution deal with A&E Network."



Junior Member
Joined: Oct 1999
first
i hate to see ads in itunes, what is apple thinking? might as well use real player lol