Google pilots AdSense for Video

Google has launched a pilot program with a small group of publishers to test streaming video ads in their online video content.

by Helen Leggatt

A quiet announcement on Google’s AdSense blog this week has outlined their plans to launch a closed pilot for “AdSense for Video”. Selected publishers, with their own video content, will be able to control the videos in which their ads appear, and where in those videos the ads are played. The pilot is similar to the beta launched by AdBrite earlier this year, which has now gone live.

Christine Lee, AdSense Product Marketing Manager, posted the announcement on the blog, saying, “Just as AdSense adds value to the text content on your website and is useful for your users, we think these in-stream ads in video will add value to publishers' video content and help to deepen engagement with users watching the videos.”

“AdSense for Video” is the latest of Google’s video initiatives and differs from recently introduced “Click to Play” video ads and AdSense’s video distribution and sponsorship programs. This new feature allows the monetization of video content, a holy grail for advertisers and publishers alike.

“This pilot represents our continued efforts to address the challenges faced by publishers who want to monetize their video content, by advertisers who want access to quality video inventory, and finally by users who want ads to enhance their video watching experience, not detract from it,” said Lee in her blog post.