Twitter Is Reportedly Considering Auto-Play Video Ad Previews

Twitter is forging right ahead with its video plans for 2015. The social media site is working on how it will handle playing video ads on user’s Twitter streams, and has reportedly discussed making these ads auto-play for a very brief preview.

According to AdAge, people familiar with Twitter’s video ad plans have said the company is toying with the idea of making promoted videos from advertisers auto-play for six seconds when they appear in users’ feeds. Users could then choose to watch the rest of the video if the ad interests them. With this setup, AdAge’s sources said Twitter is also considering only charging marketers for videos Twitter users choose to click, as opposed to charging advertisers for the initial auto-play preview.

This auto-play-plus-click-to-watch format could be a win-win for both Twitter and advertisers alike. The format essentially combines the two different ways Facebook and YouTube currently handle video ads. Facebook’s video ads automatically play in a user’s feed (a format which seems to have performed well for some advertisers

on the platform). On YouTube, brands only pay for video ads served through the site’s TrueView product when a viewer clicks on them, thus ensuring advertising dollars are spent on the most interested, intended viewers.

However, the people with Twitter’s video ad initiative noted the social site hasn’t finalized any plans as of yet, including the auto-play feature or how Twitter would charge advertisers for their video ads. There’s also no word yet on whether the potential auto-play feature will apply to non-promoted videos, as well, like those uploaded from regular users via Twitter’s upcoming native video app.

AdAge noted Twitter executives discussed the auto-play and pay-per-click options with advertisers at CES 2015 in Las Vegas, but said a Twitter representative has declined to comment.