[ad_1]
Facebook will start running pesky “pre-roll ads” over videos, but only for those shown over its new Watch platform.
The 6-second pre-roll ads will begin to appear next year. “We think they will work well in Watch because it’s a place where people visit and come back to with the intention to watch videos,” Facebook said in in a blog post(Opens in a new window) on Thursday.
In other words, you probably won’t find the ads to be too annoying; pre-roll ads, which appear before a video begins, are already everywhere on other platforms including YouTube.
For now, Facebook said it only intends to test the pre-roll ads in places where users are searching for content. However, the company does intend to bring more videos into your News Feed, mainly as a way to promote its Watch platform.
The videos will pop up in your News Feed for any video publishers or creators you’ve searched for or have ever liked. If a video you’ve watched is part of a series, expect to see the remaining episodes appear in your feed.
The move is designed to support video producers on Facebook’s Watch platform, which the company recently launched in August.
Like YouTube, the Watch platform wants to host a wide range of shows. But to do so, it has to attract users and online personalities to create and upload the content to the site. (Serving ads over those videos and offering content producers a slice of the revenue will certainly entice some.)
Recommended by Our Editors
While more videos may pop up in your News Feed, Facebook said it’s hoping you’ll start visiting its Watch platform to discover more content, and share your reactions.
Watch can be found on the monitor icon tab near the top left of the Facebook interface.
[ad_2]
Source link : https://www.pcmag.com/news/facebook-will-start-showing-you-more-videos-and-ads