Mobile advertising gets triple vote of confidence

• Yahoo Panama to launch Q1 2008

• Orange announce 8.8m unique users on OrangeWorld

• 3 announce 1 out of 4 mobile customers downloaded an ad-funded video

  Yahoo online platform, Panama, is nearly in shape  to straddle mobile inventory. Yahoo set out its mobile strategy yesterday with the commitment to deploy the mobile advertising part of the business by the end of Q1 2008. The strategy is part of a two-pronged approach by the search giant to

  a) open up the internet on mobile to advertisers

  b) make money out of mobile eyeballs.

  The move comes at the same time that Orange kicks its ad partner, Screentonic, into touch at an international level and bring ALL the inventory in-house. As part of the Orange Ad Network of which they have 8.8m unique users each month, the move looks like a consolidated approach to own the Orange customer mobile advertising inventory. The move comes at a time when Screentonic is absorbed into the Microsoft Digital Advertising arm.

  And finally, 3 makes bold moves to make their mobile portal completely ad funded.

  Advertisers include Coca Cola, EA and Yell, who have been heartened by the performance of free ad-funded video initiatives on Planet 3 in association with ad network Rhythm New Media. The campaign saw 1m of the 4m 3 subscribers consume on the media.