On Monday, a report by Recode made waves online after it claimed Facebook was getting ready to test mid-video ads in content featured on its platform. The strategy represents a significant move for advertisers on the social network.
Companies and content creators often criticized Facebook for its extremely limited revenue model for videos, which only feature ads under certain conditions.
Facebook users watch 100 million hours of video per day in average, according to a company report last year. The social giant’s metrics for video consider a view any footage that plays for 3 seconds or more.
The new mid-video ad model could mean a big jump in both quality and quantity, but it could also transform the construction of the videos to hold viewers’ attention long enough just to cash in the ad revenue.
How much will Facebook pay content creators for the ads?
The Recode report claims YouTube will provide content creators 55 percent of the income made by the ads it inserts on their videos, the same deal that YouTube has with channels.
Facebook’s move aims to grab hold of its massive audience (currently over a billion users) and their loyal viewership on the popular social network.
The social media giant is now juggling the idea of investing in original shows and other content, entering a game that currently Amazon and Netflix dominate.
What are the parameters for Facebook’s mid-video ads?
Facebook knows how annoying ads are, and presumably this is the reason behind its mid-roll ad policy making its way into the platform. Only 90-second or longer videos on the site will qualify for ad placement.
What’s more, the ads will run only after the first 20 seconds of the video, and they will last up to 15 seconds tops. This decision seems to be a halfway-accord for Facebook to allow ads on its mainstream content and companies to make better videos.
However, the results may not be as predictable for either of the parties involved. Content creators could make their videos follow a script with the sole purpose of keeping the viewers glued to their screens so that they can cash in when the ad kicks in.
Mid-video ads are more than annoying
Some users have expressed concerns over the mid-roll ad strategy since it is less than invasive than the pre-roll placement, but it invites companies to figure out how to keep viewers engaged without actually showing any quality content.
In turn, companies are worried about how much control they hold under Facebook’s ad campaigns. The site grants advertisers with the option to choose their target audience and which video categories they prefer to place their ads, but they cannot decide with which particular publishers they get paired with.
Facebook’s new advertisement model could begin rolling out in the next couple of weeks according to Marketing Land, which received confirmation from the social giant after getting an email detailing the availability of ad slots.
Source: Recode