Los Angeles - Charter Communications (NASD: CHTR), a provider of cable TV services that also counts 2.7 million high-speed Internet customers, plans to test a targeted advertising system that would track some of its subscribers' Web surfing in order to serve them more tailored ads, according to BroadbandReports. The company has partnered with NebuAD to build subscriber behavioral profiles and then sell them to third-party ad networks.

The service will allow Charter subscribers to opt-out, but they must perform the operation on all of their home computers, and redo the process should their cookies get deleted.

In addition, the opt-out function merely prevents subscribers from receiving targeted ads; it does not stop Charter's tracking of the websites they visit.

Charter vice president Ted Schremp told Wired.com the system will initially be tested with subscribers in Ft. Worth, Texas, San Luis Obispo, Calif.; Oxford, Mass.; and Newton, Conn.

Similar customer tracking and targeted ad technologies have been employed by Internet service providers including WOW, Embarq, CenturyTel and Broadstripe.

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/28uuk (BroadbandReports on Charter)

http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/05/charter-to-inse.html

http://www.nebuad.com

http://www.charter.com