The Weather Channel plans video based advertising on its mobile web site

Planning to capitalise on its strong presence in the wireless space, The Weather Channel (TWC) is set to introduce video and local ad offerings soon. The company is already in the process of sharing and implementing its idea with advertisers. The Weather Channel introduced video forecasts last year. The company plans to include banner ads later this year. They will include a five-second pre-roll ad, paired with a 15-second post-roll ad.

For the initial launch phase, these particular ad placements are being pushed as sponsorships. As a result, the advertiser will virtually ‘own’ the section upon which they can advertise. With no immediate competition, the ads should be well received. Additionally, the company will also redesign its Web pages for boosting the effectiveness of ad placements.

The Weather Channel brand averaged 36.9 million unique visitors a month in 2007, making it one of the most popular brands online. It was ranked the second most popular mobile web site following Yahoo! Mail, and the most popular content site overall, according to Nielsen Mobile. The Weather Channel Interactive firms are owned by Landmark Communications, which has its  is headquarters in Norfolk, VA.