Earlier this month, we told you that BlackBerry was testing out ads for BBM. CEO John Chen had said that the company was looking for ways to monetize the messaging app, and the tests involved sponsored invites and sponsored BBM Channels. On Friday, making the rounds after BlackBerry reported its fiscal fourth quarter earnings, Chen said that the company has been signing up top names to be its partners on the messaging app's Channels discussion groups.
BBM Channels now has top name corporate sponsors
According to Chen, some of the companies that soon will be advertising on BBM Channels include Time, CNBC, Rolling Stone and Virgin Atlantic. Ever since Facebook offered $19 billion for WhatsApp, the CEO has focused more attention on BBM, realizing that the messaging app has a hidden value that Chen would like to unlock.
Between the revenue stream that BlackBerry has started to collect from selling ads on BBM, and the increased value of the application based on the rising number of users, BBM could be a crown jewel that the Canadian company might be able to spin-off or cash in to use on a rainy day.
Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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