Microsoft to Sell Skype Ads Overseas

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Microsoft Advertising will begin selling Skype advertising on PCs and mobile devices in international markets, including France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, Taiwan and the UK. It will also sell Skype ads on PCs in Russia.

Microsoft acquired Skype in an $8.5-billion deal that closed in October.

Microsoft Advertising incorporated Skype inventory in the U.S. the day after the acquisition closed, but it has done so more slowly in foreign markets because the company was bound by existing Skype reseller agreements.

The company is still working to determine what kind of advertising works best within Skype. It is now testing in-call advertising with several advertisers and getting feedback on user experience.

Advertisements in Skype first appeared in March. Initial advertisers included Groupon, Universal Pictures and Visa. These ads appeared in the U.S., the U.K. and Germany.

In a blog post at the time, Skype assured users its plan was to only show ads from just one brand per day in each market where advertising was sold. It also said the ads would not disrupt users’ Skype experience with pop-ups or banners in the middle of calls.

Founded in 2003, Skype was previously acquired by eBay in September 2005 and then acquired by an investment group led by Silver Lake in November 2009, before Microsoft bought it.