Mobile giant Three is risking the wrath of the advertising world by pushing ahead with plans to block ads on its network in the UK during a one-day trial next month.
The company announced the trial earlier this year, having signed a deal with Israeli startup Shine, in which Three’s owner, CK Hutchison, has a major stake.
Juniper Research analyst Sam Barker warned other operators are likely to follow suit. “Although the operators are likely to push this as a consumer-focused benefit, the reality is that the operators are immensely motivated to take as much data off their network as they can,” he said.
And Aidan Joyce, chief executive of content delivery protection technology start-up Oriel claimed it was a wake-up call to the industry.
He said: “There is a real danger is that small content creators, bloggers and businesses will suffer from network ad-blocking, as the likes of Facebook and Twitter with in-app advertising continue to thrive. This fundamentally undermines the basis under which the whole world, rich and poor, can access relevant, informative and entertaining content for free.
“We believe ad-blocking technology is a consumer right and evolutionary defence against an abundance of poor quality advertising. Unfortunately, ad-blocking technology is a blunt instrument which by default makes no differentiation between poor and quality advertising.”
Meanwhile the IAB UK, perhaps unsurprisingly an arch critic of ad-blocking, claims the move will hit consumers in the long-term. Director of data and industry programmes Steve Chester said: “[At the IAB] we’re all committed to solving the ad blocking issue but disagree with Three’s approach that network-level ad blocking is the way to go.
“It’s a broad-brush approach that the largest media owners can probably survive but not the long-tail of smaller ones. In the long-term consumers will also lose out, as they’ll likely have to pay for services that are currently free because they’re supported by advertising.
“We’re engaging with Three on this topic, and remain convinced the best way to solve ad blocking is everyone getting behind the ‘LEAN’ ad standards initiative. This addresses the reasons why people block ads in the first place, and is about providing a lighter, less invasive ad experience, whilst providing consumers with choice.”
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