Sunnyvale, California — Yahoo on Wednesday notified members of its Yahoo Publisher Network (YPN) that it will soon be shutting down its contextual-advertising network by the end of the April, ceding the market to already-dominant Google, as it retools to focus on premium display.
The Yahoo Publisher Network Beta, a contextual advertising platform — much similar Google’s AdSense through which small online publishers, such as individual bloggers, easily monetize their sites on a cost-per-click basis, will officially shut down as of April 30, according to a memo sent to publishers.
Apparently, publishers are being directed the Chitika ad network, which has setup this section on its website to “make the transition from Yahoo! Publisher Network as easy as possible”.
Yahoo’s Publisher Network, launched in 2005, is the company’s look-alike of Google’s AdSense, which never progressed beyond its budding phase as an invite-only beta program, said Yahoo spokeswoman Kristen Morquecho. She declined to say how many publishers took part in the program, which she nevertheless described as “small.”
Comparatively, one of three types of ads it displayed on third-party sites including search ads and display ads through Yahoo Network, one that most brand advertisers would not miss, which consists of premium Yahoo listing as well as listings from third parties such as eBay and Comcast. Yahoo also operates display ad server APT, which serves many large U.S. newspapers.
“That was the poor man’s AdSense, and something brands generally avoided so for them this is a non-event,” said Bryan Wiener, CEO of 360i, now a unit of Dentsu.
After making an extensive assessment of the service, Yahoo concluded that the resources needed to take the program to a more advanced level would be better applied in other areas of its business, Morquecho said on Wednesday.
In an e-mail dispatched to participating Publishers, Yahoo said that Yahoo Publisher Network Beta will shutter its doors on April 30 of this year and that they will receive their final commission payments no later than May 31.
Yahoo said users of its service might want to consider moving to Chitika, another ad platform that the company says serves more than “2 billion monthly impressions across more than 80,000 Web sites.”
Since Carol Bartz took over as CEO in January 2009, the company has been cutting down many of its portfolio to focus on the premium display ad market, including shifting the Right Media exchange on the high end by eliminating some ad network inventory.
For example, Yahoo closed its GeoCities personal Web site-hosting service and sold its careers classifieds site HotJobs to Monster and its Zimbra enterprise communication and collaboration suite to Vmware.
Dear Publisher,
Yahoo! continuously evaluates and prioritizes our products and services, in alignment with business goals and our continued commitment to deliver the best consumer and advertiser experiences. After conducting an extensive review of the Yahoo! Publisher Network beta program, we have decided to close the program effective April 30, 2010. We expect to deliver final publisher payments for the month ending April 30, 2010 to publishers no later than May 31, 2010. All publishers eligible for 1099s for the 2010 tax year will have those mailed by January 31, 2011.
Because our content will no longer be delivered to your ad unit spaces after April 30, 2010, we recommend removing all YPN ad code from your pages by that date.
For the opportunity to continue earning revenue, we suggest using Chitika, a leading advertising network that syndicates Yahoo! Content Match and Sponsored Search ads. Chitika has set up a special process for YPNO beta publishers to participate in its platform. Click here for more information.
We thank you for your participation in the Yahoo! Publisher Network beta. If you have any questions regarding this announcement, please contact our Support Team at (866) 785-2636, Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PDT.
Sincerely,
Your Partners at Yahoo!
Yahoo Publisher Network Beta is not to be confused with a similar ad network that Yahoo runs for large publishers, which remains active, nor with Yahoo’s various other services to sell and display ads, Morquecho said.
Yahoo did not respond to requests for comment on the closure.