RIM launches advertising service for BlackBerry app developers; offers 60 percent of ad sales

RIM launches advertising service for BlackBerrys

NEW YORK — BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. on Monday launched an advertising service for makers of BlackBerry applications.

Developers can include advertising in apps that are relevant to their users and tie into BlackBerry features. Through a single relationship with RIM, a developer will gain access to RIM’s advertising network partners and can select which networks will get their inventory. Developers will receive an industry standard 60 percent of the advertising revenue, RIM said.

At launch, the BlackBerry Advertising Service will link developers and advertisers with ad networks including Amobee, Jumptap, Lat49, Millennial Media and Mojiva. Others are expected to join the service in the coming months.

“This new advertising service not only brings new channels of revenue to our developer community, but also provides them with a single relationship through RIM to simplify the commercial and technical complexity of mobile advertising,” Brenner said. “We also feel that it is important that agencies and brands have full control of the creative process and have worked to provide features in the SDK that will allow them to bring dynamic and relevant ads to BlackBerry smartphone users.”

U.S.-listed shares of Waterloo, Ontario-based RIM were up 89 cents, or 1.8 percent, at $49.25 in after-hours trade Monday, after closing the regular session down 51 cents at $48.36. The company on Monday also showed off its PlayBook tablet computer, which is set to launch in early 2011. With it RIM is betting on a smaller, lighter device than Apple Inc.’s iPad, which kicked-started the tablet market when it launched in April.