Broadband Digital Group, which offers
the ad-supported FreeDSL service, on
Monday tapped DoubleClick Inc. for its
ad serving DART technology, allowing the ad company to dip its feet further
into broadband.
Broadband Digital Group was founded by Chad and Ryan Steelberg, who were
also co-founders of AdForce, which
they subsequently sold to CMGI.
Interestingly, the entrepreneurs chose to partner with former rival
DoubleClick rather than with the firm they started themselves.
This deal moves DoubleClick further into the broadband arena. The company
last year struck similar deals with high-speed access providers RoadRunner and Comcast Online Communications.
“We are committed to doing everything possible to enhance our customers’
online experience,” said Ryan Steelberg, president of Broadband Digital Group.
“By aggregating our subscriber information we can leverage DART technology
to allow our partners to deliver relevant messages, while safeguarding
consumer privacy.”
FreeDSL has so far rounded up 900,000 registered users for its service. The
company collects demographic information about subscribers so that it may
better target advertising to them. It then provides them with access in
exchange for their watching ads.