Baidu, Apple to share ad sales

Baidu Inc said on Thursday that Apple Inc will be entitled to a share of its advertising sales because it added the Chinese company's search service to its newest operating system.

Baidu's vice-president Wang Jing confirmed the news to Chinese media on Thursday. Although Wang declined to disclose the terms and deal amount, he explained that the deal follows a similar agreement between Baidu and Google Inc.

A few days ago, Apple was reported to have added Baidu's search service, China's biggest search engine, to iPhones sold in the country.

According to domestic research company Analysys International, the Chinese company leads the mobile Internet search market with 35 percent of total searches via mobile devices last year.

According to Bloomberg, the agreement to add Baidu's search engine to iPhones could be announced as early as next week, citing two unnamed sources.

Apple declined to comment.

tuoyannan@chinadaily.com.cn