• July 30, 2008

In connection with its initiative to provide mobile alerts on the summer Olympics, 4INFO unveiled a program to let advertisers sponsor the SMS-text updates. The new Brand Engage platform for the Olympics lets marketers run targeted ads that appear beneath news alerts by country, sport or medal counts.

4INFO is charging CPMs of $20 to $40 on its Olympic updates, roughly double the rates it typically asks for sports content on the mobile publishing and ad service. Beyond text ads, marketers can also extend their reach by working with 4INFO's roster of publishing partners. Marriott Hotels, for example, is sponsoring a 4INFO widget on Facebook for Olympic mobile alerts.

NBC Universal, which is broadcasting the Beijing Olympics on TV and online, invested in 4INFO last year through the $250 million Peacock Equity fund it operates with parent GE. Other backers include US Venture Partners and Gannett Company.--Mark Walsh