YouTube to trial new ad format

YouTube is testing new scrolling ads to run across the bottom of videos as they are viewed. The Google owned video-sharing site will also start to sell music and video games in a bid to increase revenue in the next financial year.

The new ad format is expected to launch next year, while the e-commerce service will be set up to sell the music and video games. It will be initially launched in the US, with the UK and other countries to follow shortly.

Visitors to YouTube will be able to buy songs from music videos they watch on the site by clicking on buttons that take them either to the Amazon website’s MP3 store or Apple’s iTunes store.

YouTube users will also be able to buy video games, such as Electronic Arts’ sci-fi game Spore through the Amazon link.

Amazon and iTunes will share revenue with YouTube when users buy content through the partnership.

“There will be lots of different solutions for lots of different problems,” says Shishir Mehrotra, YouTube director of product management.

“We’ve tested a lot of things already, and we’re going to be testing more in the future. Some will work, some won’t. InVideo advertising will run text ads along the bottom of videos as they play. Other formats include contests sponsored by advertisers and home page video ads.”

Pre-roll advertising, where a ten to 20 second ad runs before a video starts, will also be considered for longer video clips.

A new video ID system will also be created to enable content owners, such as music and TV producers, to find out when copies of their video clips are uploaded to YouTube by users.

YouTube had 330 million visitors worldwide in August, according to comScore.

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