Live video ads on Facebook are on the way. We first heard about this news at June’s VidCon, an annual event for the digital video industry. During a panel, Fidji Simo, Facebook’s video product head, was asked about when ads might be coming to Facebook live video. Simo replied that the project was a priority for Facebook and that testing on live video ads was expected to begin within a few months.
#Facebook plans to launch #livevideo ads. Click To TweetLive Video Ad Format
Later on in the conference, Simo expanded on what format the live video ads would take. She was careful to avoid specifics, but seemed to indicate that the most likely format for ads will be midstream “commercial break” style ads. Some in the industry are skeptical of midstream ads under the belief that the interruption may turn off viewers with short attention spans. But at VidCon, Simo stated that the length of Facebook live video feeds combined with user behavior has led the company to strongly consider midstream ads.
More Changes Are Coming
Facebook basically used VidCon as a platform to announce a series of changes for Facebook live. Among those changes are a Google Hangouts-like feature that lets live broadcasters include another video feed as part of their broadcast. While Hangouts allows multiple extra feeds, Facebook users will only be able to include one additional feed. Another feature that will mimic Hangouts is that broadcasters will be able to schedule their live video events. This way, friends and followers will be able to request notification in advance to know when an event is starting.
With $5.8 billion dollars in revenue reported in the latest Q4 2015 report, Facebook is crushing it. It’s enjoyed 51 percent revenue growth from the previous year, a clear indication that brands rapidly are shifting their advertising dollars away from traditional above-the-lines and straight into Facebook’s pockets.
It’s easy to see why businesses are turning to Facebook ads:
- Its 1.6 billion user base is among the world’s largest.
- It’s one of the most cost-effective advertising platforms.
- Organic reach’s steady decline means marketers must accept Facebook is a pay-to-play platform.
Facebook Live Video Ads will be another awesome feature for advertisers to play with, but we’re expecting many more announcements this fall. We’ll keep you updated as the new tools roll out!
