Facebook to Launch Mobile Ad Network

Facebook will debut its plans for a mobile ad network at its F8 Facebook Developers Conference on April 30, according to a story in Re/code, which cites “multiple sources familiar with the matter.”

In an email, a Facebook rep told ClickZ, “This is a rumor and, as you know, Facebook doesn’t comment on rumors.”

However, according to Re/code, plans are underway for a network in which Facebook will pitch ads to publishers and developers, enabling it to make money from its extensive user base even when they’re not on Facebook.

In a January blog post, Facebook said it was testing a new way for developers to monetize mobile apps.

“We are running a small test to explore showing Facebook ads in third-party mobile apps,” wrote Sriram Krishnan, who works on mobile products for Facebook. “In this test, we’ll be extending Facebook’s rich targeting to improve the relevancy of the ads people see, provide even greater reach for Facebook advertisers, and help developers better monetize their apps.”

In fact, Krishnan called the test “more like a mobile ad network in that we are working directly with a small number of advertisers and publishers, rather than an outside ad-serving platform.”

Per an announcement in January, mobile advertising revenue represented approximately 53 percent of Facebook’s advertising revenue for the fourth quarter of 2013, which was up from about 23 percent in the same period in 2012.

According to Re/code, Facebook’s mobile ad network will be competing against Google’s AdMob mobile network, Twitter’s MoPub ad network, and smaller players like Millennial Media.