YouTube gives viewers choice over ads

 

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By Matthew Sparkes

Posted on 16 Jun 2009 at 11:00

YouTube is offering viewers their choice of adverts, and how to view them, in an attempt to extract more revenue from the popular video site.

A small-scale test has begun which offers viewers the chance to move adverts from the beginning of clips to the middle. Those opting to watch the advert at the start will be rewarded by getting to choose which advert they see.

"Users will have the choice of watching either one Promoted Video at the outset or a few in-stream ads throughout. Users who choose the Promoted Video option will also get to decide which video to watch," said product manager Phil Farhi in a blog post.

"We are constantly testing a wide range of options to find the right advertising format for the right content on YouTube, and we think giving users a say in the process helps our efforts," he added.

YouTube first introduced adverts in August 2007, opting for transparent overlays rather than clips that had to be watched before a video begun. However, the company has since introduced pre-roll advertising as well.

Last year Google CEO Eric Schmidt said that making money from YouTube was a top prioirity, after the company purchased the video streaming site for $1.65 billion in 2006. The company has struggled to turn a profit from the site, despite huge levels of traffic.

Reports at the end of 2008 suggested that mainstream music labels were earning "tens of millions of dollars" from adverts running alongside music videos on YouTube.