Google shuttering its TV ads product

PanARMENIAN.Net - Google is shuttering its TV ads product in favor of online video ad solutions, VentureBeat reports.

Google started the TV ads division in 2007 when it seemed that any form of advertising might be amenable to AdWords-style pricing mechanics and placement. Even today, the company advertises the ability to “target up to 42 million U.S. households” via networks such as ESPN and CNN, the report says.

But Google has never been very successful selling ads outside of its core competency, VB says. Newspaper and radio ads sales were killed in 2009, and there was speculation then that TV ads would be next. The product never reached scale, and networks were somewhat suspicious of the new kid on the block. All of Google’s success stores listed on the Google TV Ads site are small, little-known companies: DynoMighty, SelectQuote, Currituck Visitors Bureau, the report says.

The team working on TV Ads currently will be moved to other areas in YouTube, AdWords for Video, and ad serving tools for web publishers, Google says. The current product will be wound down over the next few months.