I was also confused by the announcement and the media coverage.
I now think the announcement means that iAd is closing entirely, at least from a developer perspective, i.e. for earning revenue by showing ads, and for creating ads for your own apps.
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My confusion was really based on the fact that I didn't believe Apple would close down iAd with just the short message on the developer news page.
https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=01152016a
Also because the rest of the iAd promotional pages are still active with no message stating it is closing.
https://developer.apple.com/iad/
I had also read some media reports like you that said it was just the part of iAd where developers create ads for their own apps that is ending:
http://9to5mac.com/2016/01/15/apple-will-discontinue-iad-app-network-for-developers-on-june-30th/
http://www.engadget.com/2016/01/15/apple-iad-shutdown-june-30th/
However other reports from well informed sources still indicate the complete closure:
http://daringfireball.net/linked/2016/01/15/iad
http://www.imore.com/apple-shutter-iad-app-network-june-30
I contacted the iAd team for clarification and was just referred back to the original announcement
Hello,
Thank you for your inquiry.
You may refer to the below website
https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=01152016a&1452895272
Any future updates will be mentioned on our website.
Thank you again for your interest in iAd.
Best Regards,
- iAd Support Team
Yesterday I finally found a description of what "The iAd App Network" means on the Apple developer site, and now conclude that, from a developer perspective, "The iAd App Network" = "iAd" as we know it, So the whole thing must be shutting down:
https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/LanguagesUtilities/Conceptual/iTunesConnect_Guide/Chapters/ConfiguringStoreTechnologies.html
iAd App Network.
The iAd App Network provides an environment for you to incorporate rich media ads into your iOS apps. Once you sign the iAd App Network Contract and integrate the iAd Framework in your app, all apps that are approved and Ready for Sale will be eligible to receive iAd ads.
And
iAd App Network
iAd is Apple’s digital advertising platform. As an iOS app developer, you can take advantage of iAd in two ways:
... Design targeted advertising campaigns to promote your iOS apps through iAd Workbench.
... Earn revenue by joining the iAd App Network and incorporating iAd rich media ads into your iOS apps.
The final bit of confusion relates to earlier media reports about possible changes to the iAd backend:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/johnpaczkowski/apple-iad#.idnM7Gx8q
and reports on quotes from Eddy Cue:
http://www.wsj.com/articles/apple-news-app-is-off-to-a-rocky-start-1452474159
Mr. Cue said he was surprised by the extent to which publishers call on Apple to handle ad sales. He said Apple has accelerated the development of its iAd network and expects to launch a self-service ad-buying platform in the next two months to help increase ad spending.
I think the reported backend changes to iAd must only refer to advertising in the News app, which could make sense as the news publishers are locked into Apples own News app and can't replace iAd themselves with an alternative.
But still having said all that, could they really shut down iAd with just a brief statment on a easily missed news page!