Three of Britain’s largest Internet Service Providers have signed up to use a new advertising platform that will give them a slice of the growing online targeted ad market, according to a Reuters’ (News - Alert) report.

 

Reuters reports that BT, Virgin Media and Carphone Warehouse’s (News - Alert) TalkTalk have signed up to use a system created by Phorm Inc. that connects advertisers, Web sites and the ISPs to produce more targeted advertising based on a user's anonymous browsing trends.

 

Phorm, an online contextual advertising company, said its technology will enable the companies to offer a new online advertising platform, the Open Internet Exchange.

 

Phorm officials explained that Web sites signed up to the exchange, called the Open Internet Exchange (OIX) marketplace, will be able to charge advertisers more to display adverts relevant to a user based on their previous searching habits.

 

However, the system is said to only remember the subjects a user has examined, and link that to a user profile, which allows actual user and their Internet number to remain anonymous.

 

In addition, the service will also includes a feature called Webwise, which will be offered free to customers using Phorm, to give protection against online fraud. Phorm and the ISPs will share the incremental revenue created by the new process.

 

Kent Ertugrul, chairman and CEO at Phorm, said in a statement, “We are delighted to unveil OIX. This service will dramatically improve the effectiveness of advertising for online publishers and advertisers.”

 

He also said that in a world where all websites rely on advertising for their existence this offers the promise of better content for consumers.

 

“Meanwhile Webwise, the joint initiative sponsored by our ISP partners, will also benefit consumers by making internet browsing safer as well as more relevant. We are proud to be working with the UK's leading ISPs in this pioneering venture,” he added.

 

Many publishers and advertising agencies have already partnered with Phorm for the launch of OIX. They include; FT.com; iVillage; Universal McCann; MGM OMD and Unanimis.

Anshu Shrivastava is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To see more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.

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