Skype CEO Josh Silverman says the innovative voice and video internet telephony giant is planning to offer third-party ads ‘mid-call’ in a move that could help drive considerable revenues into the future and at the same time keep service free for users.
It is understood that Silverman plans to make internet telephony giant Skype integral to the fabric of the real-time web.
Last year, eBay sold 56pc of its share-holding in Skype and now holds around 30pc of the company. A new board led by Silverman is preparing new premium offerings to drive the company’s future.
Last week, Skype announced a raft of new monthly subscription services, including its cheapest calls yet across 170 countries, and cut the rate per minute by 60pc.
At present, Skype doesn’t carry advertising on its service but that’s about to change, Silverman said in an interview with the Telegraph.
“It’s challenging to get right as the way people use Skype is very personal, but we think our users expect us to do it so we can continue to support free. But it will be done in a tasteful way,” he explained.
By John Kennedy
