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.
Recommended Stories
Loading Comments...
COMMENT
All comments need to comply with our
Community Guidelines
Phonearena comments rules
A discussion is a place, where people can voice their opinion, no matter if it
is positive, neutral or negative. However, when posting, one must stay true to the topic, and not just share some
random thoughts, which are not directly related to the matter.
Things that are NOT allowed:
Off-topic talk - you must stick to the subject of discussion
Offensive, hate speech - if you want to say something, say it politely
Spam/Advertisements - these posts are deleted
Multiple accounts - one person can have only one account
Impersonations and offensive nicknames - these accounts get banned
Moderation is done by humans. We try to be as objective as possible and moderate with zero bias. If you think a
post should be moderated - please, report it.
Have a question about the rules or why you have been moderated/limited/banned? Please,
contact us.
Things that are NOT allowed: