Apple will shutter the iAd App Network as of June 30, 2016, the company wrote in a post on its developer's Web site late Friday.
It will no longer accept new apps into the network, but
advertising campaigns may continue to run and brands can earn advertising revenue through June 30, the company's post explains.
Apple did not disclose its future plans for mobile
advertising, but explained that those wanting to promote its apps through iAd can create a campaign using iAd Workbench.
The confirmation follows a BuzzFeed report explaining how Apple plans to phase out its iAd's sales force, while allowing publishers to
self-service ads through a programmatic ad-buying platform. Apple would allow those who wanted to continue to keep 100% of generated revenue.
BuzzFeed suggested the move
could prove to be a negative decision for Apple's partners like The Rubicon Project, which began supporting iAds in November 2014.
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Some do not believe the news comes as a surprise. In
2014, CEO Tim Cook called iAd a "very small" part of Apple's business. eMarketer estimates the program captured a mere 5.1% revenue share of the U.S. mobile display advertising business, but
does expect it to grow. In 2016, eMarketer expects Apple to take 5.4% market share.
Google took 9.5% and Facebook about 37.9% share in 2015. Both companies are expected to
lose market share in 2016, sliding slightly to 37.5% and 8.7%, respectively. The loss for Facebook and Google will reverse itself in 2017 to 39.4% and 9.1%, respectively, per eMarketer.