With Apple’s WWDC 2013 scheduled to kick-off Monday, we’re hearing more chatter today about Apple’s iAd network and how it will mix with the company’s forthcoming iRadio streaming music service.
Based on the latest hype, iRadio will deliver both visual and audio mobile ads.
“The audio ads will be sold via iAd, Apple’s mobile ad network, according to a former Apple executive with knowledge of the situation,” AdAge‘s John McDermott reported Wednesday. “In addition to audio ads, the streaming music service will also contain the mobile ads iAd currently sells.”
Advertisers can expect to be charged a premium price for these ads, which are said to be so valuable in their targeting precision that Apple may get what it seeks.
As MMW reported earlier this week, sources close to the change in advertising tactics indicate that Apple has directed iAd engineers and sales staff to aggressively support its music streaming service, even though the formal launch is likely still months away.
The music service won’t be publicly available until later this year when Apple’s iOS 7 mobile-operating system is released, one person said.
“Apple intends to make its new radio service free to users and supported by advertising, similar to how Pandora’s mobile app works,” Bloomberg reported Tuesday, citing knowledgeable sources. “The new service will be different from Apple’s iTunes in that the songs played won’t be limited to what a user has purchased, and listeners won’t own the songs they stream for free.”