Facebook’s Video Monetization Program
Facebook is testing Ad Breaks in the on-demand video with a couple of publishers that are allowed to upload short ad breaks up to 20 seconds long in their videos. Presently, the testing is limited to US but soon Facebook will take to other countries. Before testing Ad Breaks, Facebook tested Audience Network that is today available for placing ads from FB advertisers on third party websites and apps.
Facebook wants its partners to monetize on premium video content
In February 2017, Facebook released three updates regarding video monetization through Audience Network and Facebook. Video marketing is at its peak. Businesses are making and uploading more video content than articles and blogs. It’s time to monetize on the video content and the only way to earn from videos is to run ads in the videos. Facebook has made a detailed plan to capture the video ad market.
- Audience Network service is now available for eligible publishers to run in-stream video ads on their websites and apps.
- Beta testing of Ad Breaks in Facebook Live is extended to include additional profiles and pages.
- Testing of Ad Breaks in on-demand videos started.
What is Audience Network?
It is a service started to feature ads from Facebook advertisers on third-party platforms including websites and apps. Testing for AN started in May 2016 and today it is available for publishers. Audience Network is different from other networks or exchanges as it provides quick downloading ads. The advertisers have to submit their bids and upload their ads to Facebook in advance. FB runs an auction and selects the ads that promise high user experience. On the contrary, other exchanges deliver ads that take much time in downloading.
Publishers interested in taking advantage in-stream video ads from Audience Network service can visit the product page of Facebook and register their businesses on Facebook.
Ad Breaks
Taking lessons from video creators trying to monetize on Facebook Live videos with their ad breaks, Facebook has itself started testing the Ad Break feature on its videos and also it has released a detailed guideline for the publishers. Any live broadcast with minimum 300 views will be eligible for Ad Breaks.
- In the US, profiles or pages with minimum 2,000 followers and 300 minimum video views are allowed to use Ad Breaks in their videos.
- Ad Breaks can be created by tapping on the $icon. The icon is available in the Live Composer Window.
- Ad Break shouldn’t be more than 20 seconds in length.
Audience Network and Ad Breaks
In-stream videos are injected by video player and these videos could be disrupting. While the first and makes the viewer wait to see the video, the middle and stops the video for a while and makes the viewer see the ad. The last and isn’t disrupting at all as it comes in the end and can be canceled.
Ad Breaks provide an opportunity to run continuous ads taking 5 minutes breaks from the video. Also there could be many ads in a lengthy video. Testing of Ad Breaks on on-demand video is under process and soon the on-demand videos will also be available for monetization with Ad Breaks.
Conclusion
Facebook has taken a big step towards opening its digital marketing doors for third party websites and apps. Its partners can now run in-stream ads on high traffic websites and popular apps. Facebook has Audience Network service to manage these ads. Also it is working on giving Ad Breaks to viewers and publishers. An Ad Break will pause the video for a while and run an advertisement that will be of interest of the viewer.
