Google Running Ads on Syndicated Music Videos

Watch Britney all day and Korn all night - if you find the right website. Google is expanding its test program of the video ad system to show online syndicated music videos from Sony and BMG music groups.

by Kristina Knight

"Over the past few months, we have run tests to figure out how we work with our partners and advertisers to combine high quality video content with ads and then distribute them (over) the Google AdSense network," Google said in statement (via Reuters).

The program is in a 4 week test phase, and is a part of the AdSense program.

Christian Oestlien, a product manager for Google, wrote on the AdSense blog that the company is, ". . .grouping together video content from providers such as Warner Music Group and Sony BMG Music Entertainment together with quality ads and offering them as playlists which publishers can select from and display," on AdSense sites.

Here is how the system works with Warner Music: Warner has divided their artists into large groupings "Rock", "Pop" and other genres. A website owner that runs Google AdSense on the site can embed these videos within a section of the website. Revenue from the videos is split between the content owner, the publisher and Google.

Ads are billed using the Cost Per Thousand (CPM) method instead of the pay-per-click method that Google has traditionally used with AdSense.

Google began beta testing the program last fall by syndicating MTV shows like "Laguna Beach" and cartoons like "SpongeBob SquarePants".