Bitstream develops a popular 3rd party browser, BOLT, that works better than RIM’s built in browser before BlackBerry 6 came into the picture. They have been looking for revenue models and it looks like they have settled on in app advertising to cash in on all the free downloads. They announced that they are now working with BuzzCity Mobile Advertising Network to add “Strategically placed, relevant advertising.”
Hopefully BOLT does a good job pulling off the advertising because there is always the risk of alienating their base with it. It should be interesting to see if BOLT can survive and even thrive in emerging markets using an advertising model. Good luck Bitstream!
Bitstream Partners with BuzzCity for Mobile Advertising
SINGAPORE and MARLBOROUGH, Massachusetts – MobilityWire® – August 16, 2010 – BuzzCity, one of the world’s leading mobile advertising networks with over 2,500 publishers across the globe, and Bitstream Inc. (NASDAQ: BITS) today announced an agreement to deliver mobile advertising via the acclaimed BOLT™ mobile browser. Using the BuzzCity Mobile Advertising Network, Bitstream plans to introduce a new revenue stream via strategically placed, relevant advertising.
“Advertising is a strong complement to many of the features offered within BOLT, allowing Bitstream to create a new revenue stream without interfering with the browsing experience or charging for downloads,” said Anna Magliocco-Chagnon, CEO of Bitstream. “Bitstream has been seeking the right partner for adding advertising to BOLT, and found that regions in which BOLT has its largest numbers of users align perfectly with where BuzzCity’s ad inventories are also strongest. In particular, India and Indonesia, two of BOLT’s largest markets, are countries where BuzzCity delivers the largest number of paid advertisements.”
The BOLT mobile browser has been downloaded by millions of people in over 200 countries and territories around the world. Since BOLT was first introduced in February 2009 its users have viewed more than 1.6 billion Web pages and are now exceeding a rate of 300 million page views each month.
“Advertisers are constantly seeking more channels to reach the right consumer, and a mobile browser such as BOLT is the perfect fit,” said KF Lai, CEO of BuzzCity. “BOLT is finding large numbers of users in both developed and developing markets, and thus has wide appeal for advertisers. In many instances, particularly in developing markets, BOLT is the primary medium by which a person can browse the Internet, making BOLT the only online platform many advertisers can use to reach consumers.”
Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview |
BOLT Browser To Start Adding Advertising Through BuzzCity
