“One of the major benefits of APT from Yahoo is the fact that it is an open system, designed to enable advertisers to reach their audiences in their favorite places across the Web, and publishers to monetize inventory across the broadest possible demand channels,” said Yahoo president Sue Decker. APT will initially launch with Yahoo’s nearly 800 newspaper consortium partners and is expected to roll out to other publishers, advertisers, agencies and ad networks in the first half of 2009.

Yahoo’s upgrade reflects a trend toward self-serve ad systems. This week has also seen MySpace unveil their own self-serve ad program in an attempt to bring the efficiency of paid search ads to display advertising.

Tags: advertisers, aim, amp, audiences, being the solution, complexities, consortium partners, display advertising, efficiency, favorite places, publishers, search ads, sue decker, trademark conflict, yahoo