engine - 6:41 am on Mar 31, 2010 (gmt 0)

Orange Teams Up With OpenX To Launch Orange Ad Market In Europe [digital.venturebeat.com]

Orange, the key brand from Europe’s third-largest telecom, and OpenX, an open-source ad server, are teaming up to challenge Google’s DoubleClick in the European ad exchange market.

“Globally, there may be three key players or so, but in Europe, there is no real leader. The market is wide open,” said Tim Cadogan, OpenX’s chief executive.

The two companies say publishers will be able to sell ad inventory in a real-time auction market. They can set a price floor to prevent their pricing power from eroding away. Advertisers can bid on inventory with one payment even if they’re buying in different markets with different currencies. OpenX takes 20 percent of ad revenue it helps bring publishers.