AfterDawn: News

Auto-play video ads are coming to your Facebook news feed

Facebook CMO David Fischer has confirmed; auto-play video ads may be coming to your news feed soon.

While the exec admitted that the ads can be distracting, he says "I believe there are ways we could do it."



Fischer, speaking at this week's Future Of Media Keynote, says businesses have been asking for ways to include more "attention-grabbing" ads, moving beyond a simple sidebar or news feed text and picture ad.

When asked if the company admired how any other company worked with video ads, he surprisingly gave props to Facebook's biggest competitor, Google. "You know I think YouTube has moved in the right direction by putting more control in the user's hands, with the five-second TrueView thing." TrueView are the ads on YouTube that allow the user to skip after 5 seconds. Businesses only get charged if viewers watch the whole ad.

Fischer was then asked how the ads could be incorporated to the News Feed: "I believe there are ways we could do it. There are ways that could be destructive and distracting to the user experience. But there are ways that could potentially balance user experience with advertiser experience. We haven't put a product out yet because we haven't had one we're comfortable with. But if we could, then we would do it."

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 15 Feb 2013 20:23

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• 12 comments

• Bigwillyz

  Yeah that's all we need is MORE G.D. advertising, the 15 minutes of commercials per 30 minute TV show is not enough. Those auto play ads are BS, they don't stop even after pausing them for a few minutes. Less Facebook now for sure.......

  15.2.2013 21:48 #1

• pensfan12

  Originally posted by Bigwillyz: Yeah that's all we need is MORE G.D. advertising, the 15 minutes of commercials per 30 minute TV show is not enough. Those auto play ads are BS, they don't stop even after pausing them for a few minutes. Less Facebook now for sure....... 10 minutes of commercials not 15.
  

  
  

  16.2.2013 04:22 #2

• hikaricor

  It's cool, that's why I don't allow autoplay in my browser of any kind.

  16.2.2013 08:10 #3

• Bigwillyz

  How do you turn it off? Every time they start playing flash asks me if I want to allow info to be stored on my PC, then it won't accept it when I click deny... Thanks

  16.2.2013 11:18 #4

• aldan

  no problem here.just dont use fb newsfeed.
  

  16.2.2013 14:46 #5

• hikaricor

  Originally posted by Bigwillyz: How do you turn it off? Every time they start playing flash asks me if I want to allow info to be stored on my PC, then it won't accept it when I click deny... Thanks Flashblock combined with adblock and the adblock element selector will go a long way to curb this (sometimes with some user input ofc). Additionally you can install facebook purity and clear out most of the crap on fb.

  16.2.2013 15:47 #6

• xtago

  This will kill facebook. This also kills other sites that aren't facebook like news sites etc.
  
  Youtube is different because it's a video site and it's just the one item, so if you do get the video ad then you you don't fuss about it, like you would on facebook or basic sites trying to fill up the screen or chew up data for ad videos.

  16.2.2013 17:24 #7

• hikaricor

  Just a heads up, adblock also blocks video ads on youtube.

  17.2.2013 02:10 #8

• s_c47

  Originally posted by pensfan12: Originally posted by Bigwillyz: Yeah that's all we need is MORE G.D. advertising, the 15 minutes of commercials per 30 minute TV show is not enough. Those auto play ads are BS, they don't stop even after pausing them for a few minutes. Less Facebook now for sure....... 10 minutes of commercials not 15. Are you two chowderheads using cop math? A '30 minute network' tv show runs 22 minutes if you remove the commercials. 60 minute shows are actually 44 minutes long.
  
  And ads are why I primarily why I use torrents for all my tv shows any more. All 7 or 8 of them.
  

  Someone told me once that theres a right and wrong, and that punishment would come to those
  who dare to cross the line.
  But it must not be true for jerk-offs like you.
  Maybe it takes longer to catch a total asshole.

  24.2.2013 06:38 #9

• Bigwillyz

  Originally posted by s_c47: Originally posted by pensfan12: Originally posted by Bigwillyz: Yeah that's all we need is MORE G.D. advertising, the 15 minutes of commercials per 30 minute TV show is not enough. Those auto play ads are BS, they don't stop even after pausing them for a few minutes. Less Facebook now for sure....... 10 minutes of commercials not 15. Are you two chowderheads using cop math? A '30 minute network' tv show runs 22 minutes if you remove the commercials. 60 minute shows are actually 44 minutes long.
  
  And ads are why I primarily why I use torrents for all my tv shows any more. All 7 or 8 of them. It was an exaggeration......to get a point across so you don't have to be a smartass. Almost every set of commercials is 5 minutes long, I've timed them. Yeah shows are supposed to run 22 minutes but if you have noticed lately they cut right into the credits with more advertising (they split the screen) so there's your 1-2 other minutes of "show"

  24.2.2013 15:27 #10

• presutable_woard

  Doesn't matter.
  Ad Block ftw

  24.2.2013 16:48 #11

• s_c47

  Originally posted by Bigwillyz: It was an exaggeration......to get a point across so you don't have to be a smartass. So was mine. It was a joke, take the stick out of your ass.
  
  Originally posted by Bigwillyz: Almost every set of commercials is 5 minutes long, I've timed them. Yeah shows are supposed to run 22 minutes but if you have noticed lately they cut right into the credits with more advertising (they split the screen) so there's your 1-2 other minutes of "show" Once again why I 'cut the cable', so to speak (going on 5 years now). And no, I don't notice that because nothing I watch has ads in it. I decided a while ago that tv torrents are the future and I think it is hilarious that the RIAA and MPAA (collectively henceforth known as the MAFIAA (from another article)) are struggling to adapt and change, when even the average computer user and technophile could see the changing landscape.
  
  Yes, I am adopting a 'better than you' attitude, since you don't have a sense of humor.
  
  

  Someone told me once that theres a right and wrong, and that punishment would come to those
  who dare to cross the line.
  But it must not be true for jerk-offs like you.
  Maybe it takes longer to catch a total asshole.

  24.2.2013 18:42 #12