Facebook to Enable Mid

Facebook is finally bringing monetization to videos that are posted by its users, letting video makers include mid-roll ads, according to Recode. “Industry sources say the social network is going to start testing a new “mid-roll” ad format, which will give video publishers the chance to insert ads into their clips after people have watched them for at least 20 seconds.”

Facebook is careful to match the same ad payout to publishers (55%) as YouTube, which we suspect is to avoid an ad payment war with its video platform rival. Facebook will differentiate its videos by serving a mid-roll ad instead of the dreaded pre-roll that most videos include. However, on YouTube the pre-roll ads can be discontinued by clicking “skip ad” after 5 seconds. It will be interesting to see if Facebook offers a similar way to end the ad interruption.

Facebook has been focused on video for the last few years, and at one point a Facebook executive said that “Facebook will be all video within 5 years.”

“Over the past six months we have been particularly focused on Live video. Live represents a new way to share what’s happening in more immediate and creative ways,” Zuckerberg said earlier this year. “This quarter Candace Payne’s Chewbacca mask video was viewed almost 160 million times.”

Not everybody is happy about Facebook’s video advertising plans:

Even more reason not to watch video. Advertisers won’t be happy until web video is as dire as US TV experience. https://t.co/ugtpLQp7Yy

— Charles Arthur (@charlesarthur) January 9, 2017

Ugh. Mid-roll ads 20 seconds into Fb videos could turn the start of videos into annoying "here's why you should keep watching!" previews https://t.co/b1qlBDaLr6

— Josh Constine (@JoshConstine) January 9, 2017

Sheryl hates pre-roll and mid-roll. And yet. https://t.co/CxRyXm98Sf

— ಠ_ಠ (@MikeIsaac) January 9, 2017