'Secret' Google Display Advertising Network Rumored

Google has reportedly launched a "secret" CPM online ad network, dubbed the Google Display Advertising Network and being tested since Oct. 1. With the invitation-only Google Display Advertising Network, Google is targeting Fortune 1000 companies, writes John Chow, saying he has been invited and has been participating in the display and video ad network. "Google has been hand-selecting sites…that they want to put in front of Fortune 1000 companies. The goal being to sell these big companies display and video ads at a very high CPM," he writes. Publishers invited to join the display ad network negotiate a flat CPM rate with Google, the contracts are for one year, and the publishers have to guarantee a certain minimum amount of monthly inventory, according to Chow. "Publishers can serve more than the minimum amount and still receive the same CPM rate for the overage," he writes. Google provides "extremely limited" reporting via weekly email, reporting only weekly ad impressions and pageviews, Chow writes, adding that he is "not allowed to reveal CPM or any financial data" regarding the  Google Display Advertising Network.