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Google introduces in-game ads and click-to-buy tunes

Other News Materials 8 October 2008 19:05 (UTC +04:00)

Google is set to expand its lead in the online advertising market by allowing advertisements within games, the company announced Wednesday, reported dpa.

Google would use its new so-called AdSense for Games programme to sell in-game video ads, the world's leading search engine provider said.

The company also hopes to make profits from its YouTube video platform by introducing a new "Click to Buy" programme allowing users to buy digital tunes from Apples iTunes or Amazon.com without leaving the site.

Google had bought YouTube in 2006 for more than 1.7 billion dollars but the revenue from adverts on the site has remained below expectations.

The new in-game advertisements are initially due to be released in a beta version only in the US, the company said. Online games were increasingly popular and played by more than one-quarter of all internet users per week, Google reported.

Market research companies such as ComScore expected a further growth of 17 per cent annually, the company said. Google was hoping to reach more than 200 million people with its new ads, including text, image, and interactive video ads.

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