Verizon BlackBerry Z10 ad running as pre-roll on Apple's iPhone 5 YouTube video

By Rene Ritchie
last updated

I wanted to watch Apple's iPhone 5 product design video again this morning so I went over to YouTube/Apple, found it, clicked "Play"... and was greeted with a pre-roll ad for the Verizon BlackBerry Z10.

Apple has no control over who buys or gets assigned pre-roll advertising on their YouTube videos -- that's all Google -- but Apple does have the ability to turn off pre-roll ads for the video in general. I can't imagine, even on millions of views, Apple gains any significant (for them) revenue from pre-roll ads on their videos, so turning them off would not only prevent competitions -- and carrier partners like Verizon -- from hijacking their viewers, but also protect their brand in general.

BlackBerry Z10 probably won't reach iPhone level sales any time soon, but what if it were Samsung buying those ads for the Galaxy S4? (Maybe they have already?)

Source: YouTube

Rene Ritchie
Rene Ritchie
Contributor

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.