“Coming soon to iTunes: ads. Apple — a brand that prides itself on the purity of the user experience — will soon put up billboards on its popular iTunes service, 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,” Abbey Klaassen reports for Advertising Age. “Apple’s current plans call for the ads 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. But it’s 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. ESPN Radio, which supplies some of iTunes’ most popular ad-supported sports podcasts, is working with the service on the new advertising offering.”
“Apple executives wouldn’t comment. But 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. What’s more compelling is what it might mean for other iTunes content, and specifically whether Apple might allow advertising in its premium content, for which it charges users,” Klaassen reports.
Full article here.
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Excellent news! Now that there is a way for serious podcasters to obtain support from advertisers, we should see better content and less of the thrown-together back yard crap that populates the catalogue now.
The nice thing about never going to iTunes is that Apple can make all the changes they want and they will always be unknown to me. I have yet to see a need for a podcast subscription.
If/when Apple starts selling 192kbps VBR music files, I may actually browse iTunes. Until then, Amazon has far more music/info than anyone could need.
And no pop up ads.
Apple fanz are against something if some other company does it, but when Apple does it…well, gee, now that makes sense.
as long as the content makes up for it…
Now I wonder why the heck people are into downloadable MP3s at all (podcasts for those of you who didn’t know this was possible before apple coined the expression)? Lousy amateurs talking about irrelevant matters. It’s about as useful as weblogs.
Emil: “Lousy amateurs talking about irrelevant matters”
I’m not sure I would classify ABC News, CBS, BusinessWeek, CNET, Discovery Channel, NASA, NBC, NY Times, Wall Street Journal, etc. as lousy amateurs but I guess your entitled to your opinion.
In other news, MacDailyNews to accept ads on their sites.
I love all you sheep that whine about MDN ads, but now when Apple announces them, they’re suddenly an enriching experience.
@Chris Moore “I subscribe to 126 podcasts”
FNA! How the hell do you find time to listen to them (5x)?
A nice take on advertising
” rel=”nofollow”>HERE…….
I have no affiliation with ANY site whatsoever.
You could always turn the album art off and you still can.
“Apple fanz are against something if some other company does it, but when Apple does it…well, gee, now that makes sense.”
Wow, what a brilliant WinTroll, I bow down.
Are you really that insecure? Pray tell, what other company have we “fanz” complained about permitting podcast creators to use their album art images for ads?
That’s right. None. Try again…
@Stop hyperventillating: “Pray tell, what other company have we “fanz” complained about permitting podcast creators to use their album art images for ads?”
How would you know what other “fanz” are complaining about?
And Apple “fanz” complain all the time about advertising on other media and so happy that Apple never did much or allowed much via the iPod/iTunes model…until now.
©: “FNA! How the hell do you find time to listen to them (5x)?”
I got that way by somehow being able to keep up. I only added more when it seemed like I was about to run out of things to listen to. I can listen to them all day at work which helps, and many of them are under 10 minutes long (although they still add up to almost 2 hours a day). I’m behind more often than I’m ahead though. Some carefully crafted smart playlists allows me to segregate podcasts into those I want to hear right away (like news) and those I can put off for weeks if need be (like history lesson podcasts). Four playlists in all.