AdMob, the Google-owned mobile ad network, has been offering interactive video ads on iPhone since late 2009. The SDK's release means select Android publishers can integrate the video ads, and advertisers can now generate cross-platform, in-app video ad campaigns to reach audiences on both iPhone and Android.
For now, it sounds as though Google will be hand selecting the Android applications that receive the new ad formats. On the advertiser front, CBS will be one of the first big brands to work with Google to extend its interstitial video ads -- already active in iOS apps -- to Android.
It was imperative for Google to bring these ad formats to Android, especially given that the company is directly competing with Apple's iAds on iOS devices. The cross-platform potential is a huge perk that's likely to resonate with big ad buyers. According to multiple reports, smartphone buyers are now choosing Android over iPhone, which makes the Google OS an even more important advertising channel.
