NDM News Story 45: Mobile operator Three to introduce adblocking

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/feb/19/mobile-operator-three-ad-blocking

With the current rise in companies that offer ad-blocking services, Three have also decided to offer ad-blocking services to customers by striking a deal with an Israeli company, Shine who provides ad-blocking technology.  This is not an attempt from Three to eliminate advertisements but to give customers more control and choice in what they receive. The three primary reasons of introducing ad-blocking software are that as customers pay data charges, they should not receive ads, Some companies advertise elicit content without permission and that customers should only receive relevant information.

• The move is cause for serious concern for digital publishers and advertisers, which are already dealing with a rising number of people who block advertising when they use their phones.
• The company, which has 9 million UK customers
• “Irrelevant and excessive mobile ads annoy customers and affect their overall network experience,” said Three UK chief marketing officer Tom Malleschitz.
• The Internet Advertising Bureau warned that Three’s move could result in publishers being forced to charge users for content they currently enjoy for free.

I think this is good strategy for Three as it has been proven to be a successful method by other companies however, this poses a larger threat to the on-line advertising business who would soon be unable to receive any revenue from the advertising on mobile websites.