T-Mobile, Yahoo Agree On Mobile Ad Deal

Yahoo made another mobile advertising deal in Britain, this time picking up T-Mobile as an outlet for Yahoo’s display advertising.

Mobile business could be Yahoo’s saving grace. Jerry Yang and company seem to be treating it this way, in light of their CES 2008 announcements where Yahoo disclosed a series of updates to their mobile services.

Yahoo has been making strides internationally with their mobile business, particularly as it pertains to delivering advertising to millions of cellphone toting customers. Their gains have been almost quiet by nature.

Their latest deal, with T-Mobile, follows agreements with Telefonica in October 2007, and a December partnership with America Movil. The T-Mobile pairing places Yahoo’s display ads on the T-Mobile Web’n'Walk service.

A Reuters report noted the similar deal Yahoo has with Vodafone in Britain. Combined, Yahoo reaches people on two of the country’s top four mobile providers.

When contrasted with the Google twin juggernaut of search and advertising, Yahoo gets knocked back in comparison, especially in the US. Yahoo’s international mobile efforts, coupled with the portal’s continued presence at the top of the most heavily visited websites, may end up turning around perceptions of the company’s health.