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BBC.com rolls out advertising

by Hayley Pinkerfield, Revolution UK 07-Nov-07, 10:45

LONDON - The BBC has begun the controversial display of adverts on its international BBC.com site, launching with three advertising partners.

The adverts, being handled by BBC Worldwide, the BBC's commercial arm, will be seen by users outside of the UK, in key markets including the US.

BBC Worldwide hopes the move will bring in an estimated £70 million per year to the organisation.

British Airways, Airbus and watch manufacturer Hublot are the first three brands to sign up.

Hublot will run a global promotion on the news home page, while BA will maintain a two week presence on the News and Sports sections, targeting European users.

Meanwhile, Airbus has taken advertising space on the homepage to reach a global audience.

The move has already drawn criticism on forums both from international users, who have been annoyed by what one user called "very, very distracting" adverts, and from some UK users who claim they can see the adverts.

"To have these global brands on board as our launch partners is a great validation of the thinking behind BBC.com,",said Kym Niblock, managing director at BBC.com.

"We're looking to generate revenue for the BBC by monetising its international traffic and these advertisers show the hunger that's out there for the audience we can offer."

The BBC has some 28 million users outside the UK, according to comScore.