Short Takes: Yahoo’s Own Sites Need iPad Boost

Yahoo’s tablet play Livestand is finally here, and not a moment too soon. After being announcned in February, the product’s launch had taken longer than many expected. It now arrives on the scene well after similar players Flipboard, CNN’s recently acquired Zite, and AOL’s Editions — though before Google’s awaited Propeller platform.

While late, Livestand is launching with some serious momentum, including 100 content partners, ranging from ABC News, to Forbes to Parenting Magazine to smaller titles like Bike and Surfer. A big goal of Yahoo’s is to have Livestand be the platform and tech backend for thousands of indie publishers.
It also debuts with Living Ads, the company’s head turning answer to banner ads on the tablet. (Parenting), Toyota and DreamWorks Pictures have kicked off new campaigns as of Wednesday (Nov. 2).
Yahoo gets a lot of grief, most of it deserved. But Livestand could be a winner. It looks great, and it’s an impressive entry into the tablet space. A huge question for all portals is how well their content travels to the app-centric iPad world. When tablets become a significant source of overall Web traffic, do brands like Yahoo Sports and Yahoo Finance take a traffic hit as users stick to closed apps? Not if Livestand can help it.
https://staging.digiday.com/?p=1883

More in Media

YouTube is under fire again, this time over child protection

Adalytics Research asks, ‘Are YouTube advertisers inadvertently harvesting data from millions of children?’

Illustration of a puzzle that spells out the word 'media.'

Media Briefing: Publishers pump up per-subscriber revenue amid ad revenue declines

Publishers’ Q2 earnings reveal digital advertising is still in a tight spot, but digital subscriptions are picking up steam.

Lessons for AI from the ad-tech era: ‘We’re living in a memory-less world’

Experts reflect how the failures of social media and online advertising can help the industry improve the next era of innovation.