• Adweek, Friday, March 2, 2007 11:17 AM

The eBay Media Marketplace, which would allow buyers of national TV and other ad mediums bid for advertising slots via the Internet, certainly sounds interesting, but ad sellers thus far aren't biting. Several blue-chip advertisers have signed up for the new service, which officially went live Wednesday for registration purposes. But here's nary a seller in site. (See Media Daily News, March 2)

Of course, it's early days yet, but understandable that the specter of a measurable supply-and-demand marketplace is a scary prospect for content owners. Could it be that demand isn't high enough to justify sellers' exorbitant prices? Advertisers, which have long understood that they overpay for TV and, to a lesser extent, other media, are more curious about the new offering from the 4As, eBay and others, but thus far, "It's like one hand clapping," says Ray Warren, president of Aegis Group's Carat Media Americas. Significantly, "it's the hand with the money," he says.

Meanwhile, engineers at eBay are putting the finishing touches on the expensive service, which Howard Rosenberg, the auction giant's director of private marketplaces, says it will go live in about two weeks.

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