Yahoo concedes to Google: Closes Yahoo Publisher Ad Network (YPN) as alternative to Adsense text/banner display business

Yahoo concedes to Google: Closes Yahoo Publisher Ad Network (YPN) as alternative to Adsense text/banner display business

Yahoo has decided to close its Publisher Ad Network, effective April 30. The Yahoo Publisher Ad Network (also known as YPN) was considered to be a legitimate AdSense competitor, serving similar display and text ads based on the page's content context. The strategic move by Yahoo is to walk away from the small publisher ad business after failing to gain ground and capture market share from Google Adsense. The Yahoo Publisher Network Beta, provided text-ad service for blogs and smaller sites and was seen as an answer to Google's AdSense. Publishers could join the network on an invite-only basis, and receive text ads that were specific to the site's content. They also took in a share of the ad revenue.

Yahoo's statement:

"Yahoo! continuously evaluates and prioritizes our products and services, in alignment with business goals and our continued commitment to deliver the best consumer and advertiser experiences. After conducting an extensive review of the Yahoo! Publisher Network beta program, it was determined that the resources that would be required to advance the program to the level expected by our publishers would be better utilized in other areas of Yahoo!’s business."

Yahoo Publisher Network Beta is different from the ad network that Yahoo runs for large publishers, which will remain active. Yahoo's other services to sell and display banner ads will also remain intact.