NEWS: Forbes Launches Ad Network, Again

Forbes Launches Ad Network, Again

It's not just yet another ad network - it's another story about yet another ad network. Specifically, Forbes' blog network gets more ink today, but nothing too different than what we saw (and wrote) last year said: Forbes is selling ads for blogs in a network powered by Adify.

The news, from what we can tell, is that Forbes has signed up more than 400 bloggers and small pubs to the network. The AP story doesn't disclose the revenue split, but when we checked in December, the Forbes network was offering bloggers 40% of whatever revenue their sites generated. That's not as good as the 60/40 split offered by others, including Federated Media (which works with SAI). Presumably the Forbes blogs take the deal because they're not large enough to be on other networks' radar. But it ought to be gravy for both sides, regardless.

Is ESPN.com Booting (Some) Ad Networks?

ESPN.com told MediaWeek it is dropping its third-party ad networks, including Specific Media and several others left unnamed. "We're heading down a path where it no longer suits our business needs to work with ad networks," says sales exec Eric Johnson.

But ESPN (DIS) didn't say whether its cutting ties with one of the world's biggest: AOL's Quigo (TWX), which claims ESPN.com as one of its highest-profile clients. As of this morning, Quigo was still selling ESPN.com inventory.

ESPN would understandably like the world to believe that it has no cut-rate or remnant ad inventory -- or that its brand is so pristine that letting ad networks sell on its site will sully its reputation. But unless the company is going to drop all third-party networks, it's hard to take that argument seriously.

Silicon Alley Insider

Forbes.com launching business and finance blog network

Due to the growing prominence of blogs, Forbes.com is introducing a business and finance blog network consisting of blogs with content ranging from banking to trading to hedge fund management. 

Participating in the blog network is through invite only, and Forbes's editors will examine all blogs to ensure relevance and Forbes editorial branding. The target audience focuses on senior business decision makers and high-net-worth investors.

Nick Ricci will join Forbes as General Manager of Sales, overseeing sales, marketing, and promotion for the blog network and theForbes Audience Network, which was launched in November 2007.

Jim Spanfeller, Forbes.com President and CEO, said: "Forbes.com can ensure advertisers are reaching a hard-to-find and very desirable audience within safe, well-lit environments by exclusively inviting 'best of breed' business and investing bloggers to our new Business and Finance Blog Network."

New Blog Ad-Network Stirs Debate

by Piers Fawkes in WEdia, Advertising & Branding

A new ad network run by Forbes has already got the detractors wondering what the point of ad networks are for bloggers. The key argument seems to be that bloggers aren’t going to really improve their business by selling bad looking ads that people aren’t going to interact to.