Google Just Revealed When It's Banning Adobe Flash From Its Display Ads Until recently, up to 90 percent of rich media ads on desktop reportedly used Flash.

By Will Heilpern

entrepreneur daily

This story originally appeared on Business Insider

ouh_desire / Shutterstock

Google just laid out a timeline to get rid of Adobe Flash from its display advertising services.

From January 2, 2017 ads in the Flash format will not run on across Google Display Network and DoubleClick. Flash will be phased out as early as June 30, 2016, from which time it will not be possible to upload display ads built in the format.

Adobe Flash is a piece of software used to create audio and video animations, games, and applications. Until recently, up to 90% of rich media ads on desktop use Flash, according to Sizmek.

Google is one of the biggest display advertising players online. Its display advertising revenue in 2015 reached $3.52 billion, which makes up 13% of its total ad revenue. In the US, it is second only to Facebook when it comes to the share of display advertising spend, according to eMarketer.

But Google has been moving towards switching out Adobe Flash for HTML5 — a "type of code that describes web pages" — for display ads in recent years. Last September, for example,Google's Chrome browser began blocking Adobe Flash ads.

Flash has been criticized by developers for its "critical vulnerabilities" which have made it bug-ridden, the Verge reported. However Adobe did release an update to fix these bugs.

Aside from Google, Firefox has also blocked Flash over security concernsfollowing several instances of vulnerabilities in the software being compromised by hackers. Amazon has also banned Flash ads from appearing on its platform, and Apple has never supported Flash on the iPhone.

Adobe itself seems prepared for the end of Flash. It killed off Flash Professional (the tool for making Flash animations) in December, ArsTechnica reported. The new Adobe Animate CC program allows users to develop HTML5 content. However it is still possible to create Flash files in the software, so the format is by no means dead yet.

In a symbolically significant move, Adobe killed its Flash Twitter account on Monday:


Will Heilpern

Writer

Will writes about media and advertising and he's also interested in UK politics. He is based in Business Insider's London office.

After graduating in Philosophy from the University of Cambridge in 2015, he worked at CNN before joining Business Insider.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business News

Barbara Corcoran Sounds Off on NAR Settlement: 'It's a Scary Time for Real Estate Agents'

The "Shark Tank" star took to Instagram to share her thoughts on Friday's ruling.

Starting a Business

A Side Hustle Consultant Shares the Most Lucrative Gigs Right Now

Plus, he answers the side hustle questions he gets most often from clients.

Side Hustle

Her 'Crude Prototype' and $50 Craigslist Purchase Launched a Side Hustle That Hit $1 Million in Sales — Now the Business Generates Up to $20 Million a Year

Elle Rowley experienced a "surge of creative inspiration" after she had her first baby in 2009 — and it wasn't long before she landed on a great idea.

Starting a Business

She Never Wanted to Start a Business, But Chronic Insomnia Was Motivation — Here's How She Achieved $20 Million in Sales and 8 Hours of Sleep a Night

Dr. Kathrin Hamm, founder and CEO of sleep-wellness company Bearaby, wanted to find a solution for her sleeplessness — and the products on the market weren't cutting it.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.