Annoying Kindle Fire welcome screen ads may be on the way

Amazon is pitching companies on the idea of advertising on the welcome screen of its Kindle Fire tablet — except that it will cost a minimum of $600,000 to do so, according an AdAge report.

Even though Amazon has frustratingly not said how many Kindle Fires it has sold, the company claims it’s the best-selling, most gifted, and most wished for product since its November launch. That would indicate that there are at least a few million Fires out there in the hands on Americans, and those welcome screens are ripe for ads to annoy Kindle owners.

The Kindle Fire ad campaigns will reportedly run for two months and will also be included on the E-Ink Kindle’s “Special Offers” advertising. If advertisers are willing to pony up $1 million, your company would be included in Amazon’s public relations materials as well.

It’s unclear at this time how similar the Kindle Fire ads would be to the current Kindle’s “Special Offers,” which appear on Kindles as a screensaver when you shut down the device. There are no visible ads when you are reading a book itself on the Kindle. We could imagine the Kindle Fire ads working in a similar manner.

Amazon has not yet decided if the ads will appear on all Kindle Fires or if it will just be on new Kindle Fires that are sold. The lack of clear direction has caused advertisers to decline the offers thus far, but that could change.

Let us know in the comments if you would be upset if your Kindle Fire starting showing ads.