Mobile ad network AdMob, which was recently acquired by Google Inc., has launched an interactive video ad unit for Apple's iPhone.

The new video ad units bring interactivity to mobile video advertising with in-player actions that let consumers browse Web sites and view additional videos while the video is playing. The first ads will start running this week in select applications across AdMob?s iPhone ad network that reached more than 20 million unique iPhones and iPod touch devices worldwide in 2009.

?AdMob?s new interactive video ad unit furthers the promise of mobile advertising through the great experience it delivers to a large mobile audience,? said Nicole Leverich, spokeswoman for AdMob, San Mateo, CA. ?AdMob has been a leader in advertising on the iPhone and we are continuing that trend with the launch of our new interactive video ad unit for the iPhone.

?The first ads will begin this week in select applications across AdMob?s extensive iPhone ad network that reached more than 20 million unique iPhones and iPod touch devices worldwide in 2009,? she said.

EA Sports is a brand name used by Electronic Arts since 1993 to distribute games based on sports such as NBA Live, FIFA, NHL, Madden NFL and NASCAR.

Madden NFL is an American football video game series developed by Electronic Arts Tiburon for EA Sports. It is available for Apple?s iPhone and iPod touch in the App Store.

The game is named after Pro Football Hall of Famer John Madden, a well-known former Super Bowl-winning coach and color commentator. The game has consistently been a best seller, and has even spawned television shows where players compete.

EA Sports has announced that the video game series will continue despite Madden's retirement as a broadcaster in 2009.

Smartphone content provider Handango Inc. has a mobile game distribution agreement with Electronic Arts to expand its content offerings (see story).

Electronic Arts launched an iPhone application, Tee Shot Live, an interactive tool for real-life golfers (see story).

GoogleMob
Last week Google signed a game-changing agreement to acquire mobile ad network AdMob for $750 million in stock in a move that validates mobile advertising as an effective marketing medium (see story).

AdMob serves more than 7.1 billion mobile banner and text ads per month across a range of mobile Web sites and applications.

AdMob works with advertisers and publishers including Adidas, CBS News, Gap, Lonely Planet, MovieTickets.com, MySpace, P&G, Tapulous and Universal Pictures.

AdMob?s new interactive video ad unit is the newest addition to the company?s portfolio of iPhone ad units, including multi-panel banner, scrolling canvas and search.

The interactive video ad unit will be sold primarily as an interstitial that will automatically play as an application loads.

This auto-play implementation delivers a captive, engaged audience similar to video interstitials on the traditional PC Web. It will also be available through a banner ad unit where consumers will click-to-play the video.

The ad unit features customizable interactivity buttons within the video player, putting users a touch away from experiencing branded video content.

For each ad, AdMob creates multiple bitrate encodings of the video files and then streams the most appropriate file size based on the devices? EDGE, 3G or WiFi connection.

?Advertisers have told us they want new engaging consumer experiences and to be able to utilize their video assets,? Ms. Leverich said. ?AdMob?s video ad unit is the first to bring real interactivity to mobile video advertising, allowing consumers to click on calls-to-action while the video is playing.

?Now advertisers can effectively tap into consumers? love of mobile videos in a creative and social way,? she said.