Skype's Windows app to get ads
updated 12:30 pm EST, Mon March 7, 2011
Skype to bring first ads to Windows app
Skype, the VoIP and video calling service, has announced on Monday that it will for the first bring advertising to its Windows program. The first markets to do so include the US, the UK and Germany, with early spots coming from Groupon, Nokia, Universal Pictures, and Visa. These companies will advertise daily, and users will have the option to get in touch with the ad producer through a Click & Call button.
A Share button will allow users to pass on the deals through their Facebook or Twitter accounts. The ads will launch this week in the Home tab.
The ad space, initially a 650x170-pixel banner that expands to 650x340 when a user rolls over it, will be sold through Meebo in the US, Ad2One in the UK and Ströer Interactive in Germany. The ads can include audio or video. Users will have the option of closing the ads with a dedicated button.
Mac users so far haven't been made to see the ads.
