In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a client application for enabling access to an online service and displaying advertisements while the user is accessing the online service. The client application receives play lists from the online service provider. The play lists include information about advertisements to be played and the order of play. The client application also receives match lists from the online service provider. The match lists include information about advertisements to be played when the user performs certain actions. The client application also displays a wide variety of sponsorship information in connection with the online service. The sponsorship information is displayed in hypertext format. The client application provides the user with information related to a sponsor when the user clicks on hypertext associated with the sponsor.