Apple To Launch iAd In The UK, France In December – Germany's Next

Apple has announced that it will be launching its iAd mobile advertising network in Europe shortly, as expected. First up are the UK and France, which will be getting iAd this December, with Germany following next January.

Apple has also announced which advertising partners it will launch in Europe with – the list includes L’Oréal, Renault, Louis Vuitton, Nespresso, Citi, Evian, AB InBev, Absolute Radio and Turkish Airlines.

Rumor on the street is several of them have gotten a discount on what iAd clients in Apple’s home country pony up – several brands have committed over $1 million (the minimum spend for iAds) to have interactive ads placed inside iPhone and iPod touch applications in the United States. The European launch has reportedly also been delayed twice.

This isn’t the only planned international expansion of the mobile ad network – a partnership forged with The Dentsu Group will bring iAd to Japan in early 2011.

The Cupertino company touts the success of the iAd platform in the United States, where it says over half of the top 25 leading US national advertisers have signed up in just four months after its July debut. Apple projects to hold roughly 21 percent share of US mobile display advertising revenue for 2010, citing research firm IDC’s findings.

(On a sidenote, IDC analyst Karsten Weide also told the Financial Times: “Five to 10 years out, I think Android and possibly others will crush Apple.”)

iAd is baked into iOS 4 and lets users stay within their current app while engaging with an ad, giving developers of free applications another way to bring in revenues. Apple says user iAd engagement times average more than 60 seconds per visit.

Apple retains 40% of iAd revenue, in line with what CEO Steve Jobs called the “industry standard”, with the other 60% going to the app developers.

The company originally announced the iAd platform back in April, following its acquisition of mobile ad platform operator Quattro Wireless in January 2010. Obviously, it rivals Google’s ad network AdMob, among many others.