Internet giant Google has revealed it is to begin selling ads to appear in videos shown on the internet.Launched as a beta program, AdSense for Video brings contextually targeted text and graphical overlay ads to publishers of online videos.
The service will offer advertisers a choice between text and video ads that will appear on a small portion of the video viewer. The text ads will change every 20 seconds and will be tailored to the contents of the webpage on which the ads appear.
Google states that these text overlay ads, which appear as a semi-transparent layer, will be charged on a cost-per-click basis.
According to the New York Times, the move by Google is an attempt to "capitalise on both the explosion in online video and the scale of its advertising network".
The newspaper goes on to state that overlay video ads have been "gaining favour" with companies as an alternative to the less sophisticated pre-roll ads, which require internet users to watch a commercial before getting to the video they intend to view.
Commenting on the service, Google product manager Christian Oestlien stated: "This allows us to become a one-stop shop for people interested in in-video advertising."
Initially, the program will have in the region of 20 partners, including video ad platform providers such as Brightcove, Yume and Tremor Media, and direct video sites like MyDamnChannel, ExpertVillage, PinkBike and BobVila.com.
